


Senior Year

by SimplyAbsolute



Series: Two Hearts Intertwined [1]
Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: All characters are in their early 20s, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Childhood Memories, Cuddling & Snuggling, Drawing, Drinking, Drunk Adora, F/F, Fight resolution, Fist Fights, Fluff and Humor, Football, Girlfriends - Freeform, Homecoming, Human Characters, Kissing, Latina Catra, Making Out, Making Up, Mutual Pining, POV Adora (She-Ra), POV Catra (She-Ra), Party, Roommates, Sexual Tension, Slow Burn, Smut, Staring, Swearing, Useless Lesbians, is in chp 9 but skippable, motorcycle, only good vibes here, plus some drama, soft, their attraction to each other isn't a slow burn but the romance is, they're both in denial
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-09
Updated: 2019-12-11
Packaged: 2020-10-13 10:16:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 109,856
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20580869
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SimplyAbsolute/pseuds/SimplyAbsolute
Summary: “I just don’t understand how you two can be so gay for each other and so oblivious at the same time.”“I don’t know what you mean.”“Sure you don’t, and I know your ‘relationship’ is none of my business, but it’s painful to be around you two sometimes.”“Wow, harsh. And even if I did know what you were talking about, which I don’t, Adora is just a friend and it’s better that way.”“I cannot believe how deep you two are in denial…”It’s Adora and Catra’s last year as undergraduates in college and they are determined to make the best of it! After growing up as childhood friends and getting accepted into the same university, Adora and Catra have been sharing a tiny cramped two-bedroom apartment off campus for the past three years and have done a lot of self discovering during that time. Will their relationship change or the course of this year? Or will everything stay the same?This work focuses on the events surrounding college life as Catra and Adora discover not only the joys of being a senior in college, but also their deeper feelings for one another. Each chapter will focus on a new activity that Catra and Adora partake in chronologically month to month.





	1. Beach Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adora drags Catra to the beach for one last fun filled Saturday before the beginning of senior year. There, they meet up with Gimmer and Bow and enjoy a relatively relaxing day until Adora decides to teach Catra how to swim. Things escalate from there and let’s just say they both weren’t looking forward to Monday.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translation into Русский now available: [Выпускной год](https://ficbook.net/readfic/9130442) by [Rocky Ross](https://ficbook.net/authors/2585533) and [Nora](https://ficbook.net/authors/1403837)
> 
> I'm back with a brand new fic! I hope you guys like it! I just really needed for wholesome Catradora content without any traumatizing backstory, so in this fic, they grew up together and were never separated and had a relatively happy childhood.
> 
> For the purpose of this fics timeline, this chapter takes place towards the end of August.
> 
> Visual References:  
[Adora's Swimsuit](https://www.pinterest.com/pin/683702787161620924/), [Catra's Swimsuit](https://www.pinterest.com/pin/318418636154020032/?nic=1), [Stripped Swimsuit](https://www.pinterest.com/pin/787567053567894088/) and [White Swimsuit](https://www.pinterest.com/pin/286823070005867261/)

A warm summer breeze blew through the slightly ajar window of Catra’s bedroom in her shared apartment late in the morning. It smelled floral and sweet, as she was lying in bed, just beginning to emerge from her slumber. Eyes still closed, she breathed in deeply, and as she exhaled, she felt her body relax even further.

_A perfect Saturday just to stay in bed and forget about my senior semester beginning on Monday._

She was currently positioned on her stomach, right arm under her head, left leg hiked up and bent at the knee, with her face buried in her pillow. She was beginning to drift back asleep when she heard her bedroom door fly open and slam against to wall.

Her eyes shot open.

“B-b-b-beach Day!!!!!!!!!” A voice shouted out at a much too loud volume for Catra’s liking this early in the morning.

_Shit! I totally forgot about this._

She had promised her roommate that they would go to the beach the last weekend before the semester started. Despite how much she loathed the beach, making her roommate happy was always a priority of hers. She had been her childhood best friend after all, and when they both got accepted to the same university after high school, they rented an apartment off campus to share instead of those nasty roach and rat-infested excuses of a dorm that the university offered.

“Ugggghhhhh can’t we just enjoy our last stress-free weekend indoors Adora?”

“Nope, you promised that we would do this today, and a promise is a promise Catra! So, come on let’s goooooooooo!” Adora hand’s cupped around her mouth as she said that last word.

Catra still hadn’t moved from her position in bed as she groaned ‘why’ into her pillow.

“Come on! Don’t make me make you get out of bed.”

“Make me? What, are we five? Please.” Catra rolled her eyes even though Adora could barely see her face.

The next thing she hears are the very distinct sound of Adora’s feet hitting the hardwood floor of their apartment. Seemingly getting louder and quicker as seconds passed by.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

_Oh god_.

Catra braces herself, fully knowing what was about to happen.

She grabs onto her pillow like her life depends on it and feels the full weight of Adora come bearing down on her back. She lets out an audible ‘umph’ as she’s being crushed under her roommate. Adora had jumped onto her bed and laid herself perpendicular to Catra so they formed an X with their bodies. She could feel Adora’s body shift as she breathed and her position over Catra right now was oddly comforting. It reminded her of her childhood but Catra was not up for feeling sentimental today.

“How is this helping your case?”

“You’ll see. This is just the beginning.” Catra could hear the smile in her voice.

_This is going to be bad._

Adora then pushed herself off of Catra’s back so she was sitting on her knees on the left side of the bed. She took a hold of the covers by Catra’s face and quickly peeled them back. Leaving Catra still in the same position she had been all morning, but now her body was being bathed in the morning light streaming through her window.

“What if I had been naked Adora?”

Her question was met with silence.

_She probably didn’t think that far ahead._ Catra thought.

“…Would’ve been a better view I guess.”

That answer caught Catra by surprise.

See the thing is, Catra has been crushing on Adora ever since Freshman year in High School, but she never wanted to bring up her feelings to see if she felt the same way. What they had going was a good thing and she did not want to mess that up! So, when Adora said things like this back to her, Catra began questioning her almost eight years of secrecy, and strated thinking if Adora could actually like her in that way.

She quickly shook that thought from her head as she felt Adora slipping her hand under her left hip and shoulder, lifting, and trying to turn Catra on her back.

_Might as well make this as difficult as possible for her._

Catra went into full on ragdoll mode. Purely dead weight. But, Adora continued trying to roll her over.

“Come on Catra! You’re such a child!”

“Hey, I could’ve gotten myself out of bed, but now that you’re ‘assisting’ me, why should I have to exert myself.”

Adora had finally managed to flip Catra onto her back. Her curls spilled across her pillow and her arms were raised above her head as she let out a loud yawn and stretched her body to its fullest extent. When she looked back over at Adora, she could have sworn she was staring, but she had adverted her gaze as soon as Catra landed eyes on her.

The bed shifted as Adora moved and planted herself back on the floor. She grabbed Catra’s right ankle.

“Adora, what are you…”

Catra couldn’t finish that sentence as her leg was suddenly jerked to the right and she found her whole body slowly slipping towards the edge of the bed. Adora had a devious look in her eyes as she continued pulling on Catra’s leg. Her entire right leg was almost off the bed already and she could feel her left leg following suit.

“Adora, I’m gonna fall!”

She felt her butt starting to slip over the edge now as Adora pulled harder.

_Does she want me to fall???_

The edge of the bed was starting to reach her lower back now as her left foot brushed against the floor beneath her. That’s when Adora dropped Catra’s right leg, which hit the ground with a thud.

“Owwwww.” Catra wailed.

“I know that didn’t hurt. Stop being so dramatic.”

_This whole situation is hilariously dramatic._

At this point, she must have looked like a hot mess from Adora’s perspective. Catra was still barely perched on the side of the bed, on her back, with both feet on the ground. In the process of Adora pulling her off the bed, she felt her shorts riding up and her t-shirt too. She now had a massive wedgie and her midriff was exposed.

Adora poked her in her right side, which elicited a way too childish giggle from Catra.

“Oh, I always forget how ticklish you are.” Adora said, as she readied her hands.

At that, Catra immediately sprang up onto her feet, pulled her shirt down, and adjusted her shorts. She did not need her roommate/childhood best friend/crush tickling her at this moment.

_Nope, no way._

“We are _not_ doing that this morning.”

Catra pointed a defensive finger in her face and Adora raised her hands in a defensive position.

“Okay! Okay! Calm down.” Adora said through a laugh.

“I made some waffles this morning. If you want any, I left them on the counter.” She continued.

“I don’t want any of your waffles Adora, they’re always burnt.”

“Okay…rude. Well, please at least eat something. The beach can take a lot of energy out of you! When you’re done, meet me in my bedroom. I ordered like four different swimsuits online and I need you to tell me which one I should wear.”

Catra’s heart damn near stopped. She had seen Adora in swimsuits and other revealing outfits before, but every single time Catra gets flustered and she gives her some lame explanation on why she likes whatever outfit the best, while simultaneously trying not to make a fool out of herself.

“Sure thing!”

_Way too eager dumbass_! Catra mentally smacks herself.

Adora laughs as she heads out of Catra’s room and presumably into her own room. Catra walks towards their small kitchen, and as predicted she sees a plate of semi-burnt waffles sitting on the counter.

_How does she even manage to do that? You literally just put the batter in the waffle maker and wait for it to tell you when it’s done! _She pondered. _Hmmmmm…since I’m not eating that, what’s something that I can make that’s quick and easy?_

The answer came easily to her, because it was one of the many things that she enjoyed, and it reminded her of her childhood. _Huevos rancheros_._ So much for not being sentimental today._ Growing up, Catra’s mom used to always serve this meal as it was a great way to feed a crowd. Coming from a Latino family, there would always be extended family at her house and her mom would whip this up in no time. Back then, she would make homemade tortillas, pico de gallo, and the best fried eggs that Catra has ever had in her life. Unfortunately, Catra’s mom wasn’t here right now, so she had to settle for the college version of huevos rancheros.

She pulled out a pan and set it on the portable stove top. Catra still couldn’t believe she settled with Adora and rented an apartment without a stove and oven ‘because it’s cheaper that way.’ She loved cooking way too much and should have fought harder, but she couldn’t argue with affordability. She waited for the pan to heat up before cooking some chorizo, and after that was done, she cracked two eggs into the same pan. As the eggs were cooking, she put two store bought tortillas into the microwave for them to heat up and grabbed the container of pico from their fridge.

As she was assembling her breakfast, she heard Adora call out from her bedroom.

“It smells really good out there... why are you cooking something?!"

“Cause you fucking burnt the waffles again and this is like five hundred times better!” Catra replied.

She sat down on a stool in front of the kitchen island, which had an overhang that served as a table which could fit four people max. Their apartment was too small to have a proper dining area, which was another thing Catra was irked by. She quickly devoured her breakfast, _not as good as mom made it, but it’s decent_, before hesitantly heading to Adora’s room.

* * *

Adora’s room was very similar to Catra’s layout wise. Standing in the doorway, the bed was against the wall to her left, to her right was her bathroom, and in front of her was a built-in storage area/dresser/desk combo. This apartment complex was close enough to campus that they knew they should cater to student preferences, even if it wasn’t actually owned by the university. Catra was happy that they both got their own private bathrooms and ‘study areas,’ which Adora was currently seated at, with her laptop open in front of her.

Catra peered over her shoulder from the doorway.

“Are you seriously looking at class syllabi already?” She asked in a mocking tone.

“I need to be prepared Catra! I have books I need to get, supplies to purchase, intros to write…” Adora already sounded panicked and she needed to calm her down quickly.

“Woah, woah, woah. I thought you were supposed to be miss rest and relaxation today.”

“Oh, right…b-b-beach day!” She said in a less convincing tone than earlier.

Catra walked over to Adora’s desk and closed her laptop. Before spinning Adora around in her chair and facing her with her hands on her hips.

“So, what did you need my help with?” Like Catra had forgot.

“Picking out a suit, duh! I ordered four because I couldn’t decide, and I figured you could borrow one too since we’re relatively the same size.”

It was true, even though Adora’s build was broader than Catra’s, her curves made up for missing muscle mass, so their measurements where about the same. Not that she was overly curvaceous by any means. Catra was still slender enough, that her family would call her Flaca, instead of her actual name, whenever she saw them. _Ahhhh, good times…not_.

“I laid them out on my bed. Which should I try on first?” Adora gestured to the bed,

Catra hadn’t even noticed them when she walked in. She was too preoccupied looking at Adora seated at her desk. On the bed lie four different suits, luckily for Catra they were all one pieces which would make things easier for her, since she wouldn’t have to see Adora’s stomach in all its glory. The first suit was white with a palm leaf pattern on it, high waisted, and had cutouts on the sides. _Interesting, but I don’t think it would fit her figure well_. The second was a powder blue one-piece, also high waisted, had a cutout right under the chest and a low scooping back. _Cute, and the least offensive one on this whole bed_. The third was a yellow suit with no back except for the crisscrossing straps, and a deep but modest plunge in the front. _Probably would wash her out_. Lastly, the fourth suit was multicolored, stripped, and had no interesting details on it at all. _Gross, why did she even buy that one?_

“So?” Adora was still waiting for an answer.

“Well, first of all you should return that one.” Catra pointed to the stripped one. “It would make you look like a circus tent.”

Adora laughed. “Okay, point taken. To be honest that was the last one I bought and didn’t even really like it. But…it was only twelve dollars.” She shrugged her shoulders.

“I guess…try on the white one with the leaves first?”

“Okay, give me a sec.”

Adora stood, took the suit off her bed and stepped into her bathroom to change, while Catra sat down in Adora’s desk chair and began scrolling through her phone_. You never know how long Adora will take when trying on clothes_, she thought.

After a few minutes, she heard a muffled “I already don’t like this one” being shouted through the bathroom door. Catra laughed. “I knew it probably wouldn’t have fit you well, but I thought it would be funny for you to try on.” She looked up from her phone as she heard the bathroom door creak open. Catra was right, the swimsuit did not flatter her at all, and she could tell by Adora’s posture that she was not feeling it.

“You look like it physically hurts you to be wearing that right now.” She laughed mockingly at her.

Adora was standing with both arms held straight at her sides and her hands were clenched into fists as she said, “I don’t like it,” like a three-year-old trying a new food for the first time.

“Like, what are these even for? It’s not flattering at all!” Adora pointed to the cutouts in her sides and poked at her skin that puffed up there.

“It’s called fashion Adora. I think cutouts are on trend this season or some shit. If you didn’t like it, then why did you buy it?”

“It looked better in the pictures!”

“Well, at least it makes your man shoulders look good.”

This was Catra’s form of flirting that she’s been using with Adora for as long as she can remember. _Insult your crush on the things you actually like most about them. Why am I like this!_ She mentally asked herself.

Adora rolled her eyes at her. At least she wasn’t offended. Probably because she was so used to it at this point.

“Haha. Which one should I try next?”

“Hmmmmmm…I gonna be honest here…”

“Honestly, shocking.”

“I think the yellow one would wash you out, since you’re like the whitest person on this planet. Maybe try the blue one?”

“Sorry my skin tone offends you, queen of the golden tan people.”

“Amazing comeback Adora.”

“Ugh, just hand me the suit.”

Catra wheeled over to the side of the bed, too lazy to get up from the chair, and tossed the swimsuit at Adora, who barely caught it, before she returned to the bathroom.

“Your hand-eye coordination sucks, you know that?” Catra called through the door.

“Gee, thanks. Why are you so annoying this morning, huh?”

“Oh, I don’t know. Probably has to do with some idiot literally dragging me out of bed this morning.”

“Not my fault that you forgot about…B-B-B-BEACH DAY!!!!” Adora’s enthusiasm had returned for a moment and then there was silence.

A few minutes pass.

“Adora? You alright? What’s taking so long?” There was genuine concern in her voice.

Catra heard the bathroom door creak open again, she looked up, and Adora stepped out looking confident as ever.

“I really like this one! It’s a little girly, but…I think this is it! Opinions?”

And boy, it was absolutely amazing. Catra couldn’t help but stare at her. The bottom half of the swimsuit was high cut, which framed her hips and legs beautifully, and the top half was modest enough that Adora wasn’t too exposed, but her cleavage and the top part of her stomach were on full display. _Okay, weirdo, stop checking out your best friend_. Catra thought, but she was definitely already flustered and hoped that her expression didn’t show it.

“S’nice.” Was all she could muster as she shrugged her shoulders.

“Right! Check out the back!”

And then, Adora spun around and Catra’s world stopped. The low scoop showed off Adora’s defined, yet soft, back muscles, which was something Catra definitely didn’t think about on a daily basis. She then looked down and Adora’s ass was on full display. Her throat went dry and she couldn’t look away. If the front had barely covered her hips, the back was barely covering the cheeks, and Catra asked herself, _what did I do to deserve this?_

“It’s bound to turn heads!”

_Wait, what? Did Adora want attention from other people? Strangers?_

This thought made Catra kind of jealous. She attempted to clear her throat and pull herself together before answering Adora. She had been quiet for far too long and didn’t want her staring to get obvious.

“It’s for sure gonna give someone a heart attack.”

_More specifically, me._

“I just hope no creeps try to approach us while we’re there.”

“I’ll try to keep them at bay.”

“Thanks. Ditto.”

“Ditto? You’re such a cool person, you know that?”

“Whatever, Catra.”

Adora walked over to one of her dresser drawers and pulled out an old long-sleeved t-shirt and tossed it over her swimsuit as a coverup. It reached to mid-thigh so there was no need for shorts. She patted Catra on the right shoulder, signaling for her to get up, which Catra did, before she sat down.

“What are you doing?” Catra asked.

“Uh, waiting for you to try on a suit?”

_Right, I do need to do that too, I guess._ She was too caught up in Adora’s swimsuit situation and then insulting her, that she had forgotten she also had to try on a suit. And the thought of Adora examining her in a bathing suit made her shiver.

“Which one?” Catra responded.

“I think either the white one with leaves or the yellow one, since you’re not a fan of the ‘circus tent’ one.”

Catra opted for the one that had not already been tried on by Adora. She took the yellow bathing suit into Adora’s bathroom and started stripping off her clothes.

“It’s a mess in here!” She told Adora through the door. “You left your clothes all over the floor too!”

“What are you my mom now?” Adora called back.

“I just don’t know how you live like this.” Catra fake cried through her response.

“Sooooooo dramatic. I’ll clean it tomorrow!”

Fully naked in Adora’s bathroom, Catra started tugging the swimsuit up her body. She pulled it over her hips, up her chest and pulled the straps over her shoulders. She causally adjusted the suit, tugging on it in certain spots, before looking in the mirror. _Damn, I look good!_ The neckline gave for a subtle amount of cleavage, and the fit of the suit made her look more curvy than usual. She turned around and looked over her shoulder into the mirror again. Her back was fully exposed, except for the straps, and her butt was moderately revealed too. _Oooooo, wait until Adora sees this!_

She grabbed the door handle and slowly began cracking open the door, just enough to poke her head through. She saw Adora, still in her desk chair, staring directly back at her.

“Were you just staring at the door this whole time?”

“What? Noooooooo!”

Catra laughed. “Okay, dork.” She was still just peering out of the doorway. Right hand on the doorknob and left hand on the door, her hair was draped behind her left shoulder and hung down towards the floor.

“Are you going to come out here, or…?”

Right, she did have to do that. Even though she felt absolutely stunning in this swimsuit she wanted to downplay her reaction to see what Adora had to say. Definitely not just because she wanted Adora to compliment her on how great she looked.

“I don’t know…”

“Come on Catra, it can’t be that bad.”

Catra slowly made her way out of the bathroom and immediately felt Adora’s gaze on her. She was suddenly a little self-conscious, which instantly went away when she heard Adora breathe out ‘wow.’ _Is she blushing? No, that can’t be right_. Catra ignored it.

“So?”

“You…it…looks fantastic!” Adora was smiling as she scanned her eyes over Catra’s body and landed on a particular spot. “But, what’s that?” Her eyes narrowed. “Can you come over here for a sec?”

Catra walked closer to Adora and she went still as Adora’s hand reached out and touched the side of her right hip. She could feel the fabric being tugged at. Her hands were surprisingly soft against her skin and she could feel her face getting warmer.

“What are you doing?”

“Oh, sorry. There was a loose thread. Also, the straps on your back are twisted. Do you want me to fix them?”

“Uh, sure. Go ahead.”

Adora rose from her chair and went behind Catra. She could feel her hands brush against her back as she adjusted the straps. It sent shivers down her spine. Adora smoothed out the straps, before assessing her work. Catra couldn’t help but think that Adora was being more handsy with her today than usual which was odd. _Is this all in my head?_ She thought as Adora finished fixing her straps.

“There. Much better.”

“Thanks.”

“No problem.”

_When did this conversation become so awkward?_ Catra wanted to end to change the subject.

“So, do you have a shirt I can burrow for a cover-up too?”

“Oh, yeah!” She went to the same drawer as she had gotten hers from and tossed a t-shirt at Catra. This one was short-sleeved, but it was long enough to be decent, as she slipped it over her head.

“Alright, so we got our suits on, I made snacks earlier this morning, which are still in the fridge. and I set all the beach supplies by the front door.” Adora said. “I’ll grab the food and meet you by the door, okay?”

“Yep.”

Catra stopped by her room to put her hair up with a clip and tied a white bandana around her head to hold back her long bangs. She exited her room and scooped up the two beach chairs and one of the bags by the door, waiting for Adora to return from the kitchen. When she did, she picked up the other bag and the girls made their way out of their apartment complex and to Adora’s car, where they tossed in their belongings and headed off to the beach.

* * *

Adora put the car in park as they arrived at the beach parking lot. It was still early enough in the morning that the parking lot wasn’t completely full, but they were still towards the back half of the lot.

“Who’s supposed to be joining us again? Twinkles and Arrow right?” Catra asked.

“Glimmer and Bow, yes, and they should already be here. Please try to be nice to them.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about Adora, I’m always nice to them.”

“Uh huh, okay. Well, at least try to tone down the insulting sarcasm then.” Adora pleaded.

“No promises.”

They got out of the car, picked up their belongings and headed to the boardwalk leading to the beach to look for Glimmer and Bow. It really was a beautiful day outside. There was still that light breeze in the air from earlier, but now it smelled of salt instead of sweetness. And Catra couldn’t help but frown about the fact she would have to spend it with Tweedledee and Tweedledum.

“You know, if I would have known you were inviting Sparkles and Arrow Boy to this shindig, I would have invited Scorpia and ‘Trapta too.”

“Catra, I told you I was inviting them like five times, but you either didn’t listen or ignored me.”

_That does sound like something I would do_.

“You could have invited your friends too, but you didn’t.” Adora continued. “And please use their real names.”

_Kind of harsh_, Catra thought, but she let it go.

They reached the crest of the sand dunes, where the boardwalk began to disappear, and the sand began to take over. Catra saw Adora scanning the area in front of them for any signs of her friends.

“They said that their canopy would be green…” She raised her right hand to her forehead in a saluting position to block the sunlight from her squinted eyes. “Ah! There!” Adora pointed in the general direction of where she was looking and Catra saw Glimmer and Bow waving at her, trying to flag them down.

“Wow, they already look unbearable from way over here.”

“Catra!” Adora snapped at her.

“Okay, okay. I’ll stop…”

The girls walked down the rest of the sand dune and towards the green canopy. Catra could already begin to feel her footing slip and slide with every step she took, part of the reason she hated the beach. When they finally reached their destination, they set down their stuff, and Glimmer and Bow greeted Adora with a hug and turned towards Catra with open arms.

“Don’t” Catra bluntly said and they lowered their arms.

“Wow, someone is in a mood today.” Bow said.

“Ignore her, she just woke up on the wrong side of bed.” Adora blatantly stated.

“Adora you literally dragged me out of bed this morning.”

“You, what?” Glimmer chimed in.

“It was only because you refused to get up!”

“Ugh, can we just do whatever we’re going to do today?” A slightly embarrassed Catra answered.

“Uh, yeah, sure.” Bow said. “So, we have our chairs set up over here if you want to put yours next to ours, and our towels are laid out over there, cooler and snacks here.” He pointed to each area as her spoke.

“Great!” Adora picked up their beach chairs and sat them next the Glimmer and Bow’s so they created a semi-circle towards the ocean and began setting out their towels. While she was doing this, Catra was able to get a better look at the other two. Bow was dressed in short blue swim trunks and a white crop top. _Is that really necessary_, Catra thought. Then she looked at Glimmer and struggled to contain her laughter, she was wearing almost the exact same ‘circus tent’ suit Adora had bought. It’s not necessarily that it looked bad, which it kind of did, it was just the irony of the whole situation. She tried, but her laugh came out as a strangled snort, which gained the attention of Bow.

“You okay Catra?”

“Oh, me? Yeah, I’m fine. Just thinking about something from earlier.”

“Okay…”

Adora rejoined the group looking proud from fixing their setup.

“Alright guys, I think we’re almost ready!” She said.

“Adora, we’ve been waiting for you guys for like thirty minutes! Do whatever you have left to do, I’m going to the water! Bow are you coming?” Glimmer sounded irritated, but it was amusing to Catra.

_Even when I’m not here she gets upset. Amazing. I’m glad I can piss people off with them just thinking about me._

“Uh, I think I’m going to lay out for a while before the sun gets too strong. I’ll join you later!” Bow called out, and Glimmer made her way to the water and slowly started getting in. He then took off his crop top and settled down onto his towel on his stomach, so that his back was facing the sun. His head was turned to the right, facing the remaining two girls, but his eyes were closed.

“Adora, what else could you possibly have to do?” Catra mused.

“Sunscreen, of course!” Adora responded as she slowly started to take her coverup t-shirt off. Catra thought the suit looked even better the second time. Adora dug around one of the bags that they had brought with them and pulled out a spray-on sunscreen and started spraying it on her arms, chest and legs. The way it made her skin glisten in the sunlight…Catra couldn’t help but stare.

“Catra?”

That snapped her out of her trance.

“Yes?”

“Could you get my back?”

“Uh, yeah.”

Catra took ahold of the sunscreen bottle and slowly began spraying it onto Adora’s back and watched as her muscles tensed and goosebumps rose on her skin. She also heard a hiss escape Adora’s teeth.

“Ah! The back is always the worst!” She heard Adora say, but she was too busy looking elsewhere. More specifically down.

“Uhhhh…Did you get the back of your legs?”

“Huh?” Adora looked over her shoulder and down. “Oh, guess I didn’t.”

_What game is she trying to play?_

Catra bent over slightly and sprayed the back of her thighs and…butt, before standing up again. Her face felt a bit warm, but she could just blame that on the heat.

“Think you’re good to go princess.”

Adora smiled as she turned around to directly face Catra.

“Thanks.” She said. “Do you need me to do you?”

_Do me? Oh, the sunscreen right…_

“Nah, brown people don’t burn.”

“I wear sunscreen…” Bow muttered, eyes apparently still closed.

“See! And no one needs skin cancer Catra!”

“Okay, fine! Dr. Adora and Bow.”

Catra removed her cover-up and regained that confidence she had earlier today as she felt Adora’s eyes on her once more. She held a T-pose as Adora circled and sprayed her with sunscreen.

“Done!”

“I feel _so_ protected right now.”

Adora rolled her eyes “Asshole.”

“Woah, watch it! Wouldn’t want that pretty little mouth of yours getting too dirty.” Catra winked at her.

“Whatever, I’m going to the water. Bye!” Adora headed off to join Glimmer who was already neck deep in the ocean. Catra watched her as she ran off, before settling down on her stomach next to Bow. The one thing that she did enjoy about the beach was sunbathing, and she was finally relaxing until Bow spoke.

“The swimsuit does look great on her.”

“What?”

“I just don’t understand how you two can be so gay for each other and so oblivious at the same time.”

“I don’t know what you mean.”

“Sure you don’t, and I know your ‘relationship’ is none of my business, but it’s painful to be around you two sometimes.”

“Wow, harsh. And even if I did know what you were talking about, which I don’t, Adora is just a friend and it’s better that way.”

“I cannot believe how deep you two are in denial…”

“No one is in denial Bow! You’re just seeing things.”

“Yeah, seeing things that you clearly aren’t!”

_Wait, what? Am I missing something? Has Adora even ever given me signals? No, no way_.

“Oh, shut up! Can we just enjoy our beach day?”

“Sure. I understand that you are not ready to accept your feelings yet and that’s fine. But, when you do…”

“SHUT UP BOW!”

* * *

A good forty-five minutes to an hour of silence passed before Catra was interrupted by the sound of slipping footsteps and dripping water. She was laying on her back now, so she raised her left hand to shield her face from the sun as she cracked open an eye. What she saw was Adora standing over her, looking like an absolute goddess. _Wow._

“What happened to Bow?” She asked.

“Oh, he’s either dead or asleep. Didn’t care enough to check.”

“Catra!” Glimmer yelled.

“Geez calm down Twinkles, it was a joke. He’s asleep.”

Glimmer went off to wake him.

“Why’d you come back so soon?” Catra felt drops of water hitting her as she asked that question. “And can you please stop dripping on me? It’s really annoying.”

“Oh, sorry.” She stepped back. “We can back for snacks. Want to join?”

Catra focused on her own stomach for a second, she did have a light-ish breakfast…

“Yeah, I could go for some snacks.” Catra responded.

She got up from her position on the towel and sat in one of the beach chairs as Adora started digging through the beach bags and cooler. Glimmer and Bow then joined them and sat down in the accompanying chairs. “So, it looks like we got sandwiches, chips, protein bars, granola, fruit, veggies and hummus to eat and water, soda, and tea to drink. Who wants what?” Adora distributed the snacks and drinks after the group called out what they wanted and settled into her seat in between Catra and Glimmer.

“Always such the hostess.” Catra teased and Adora just gave her a look as she bit into her sandwich.

“How’s the water?” Bow asked.

“It’s pretty warm, but not like bathwater warm…it’s still enjoyable.” Glimmer said.

“And there’s a bunch of small fishes swimming in schools! They’re so cute!” Adora chimed in way too excited about the fish.

“Sounds miserable.” Catra uttered.

“Come on Catra…I’m sure you’d like it if you gave it a chance.” Adora was looking right at her.

“Adora…you know I can’t swim.” Catra whispered through gritted teeth.

“We’ll just stay in the shallow end! I can try to teach you if you want.”

The thought of Adora teaching her how to swim made her extremely nervous and uncomfortable. However, Adora was trained for this. She had spent the last few summers as a lifeguard at the college pool.

“Hard pass.”

“Please?” Adora gave her best puppy eyes.

“Nope.”

“For me?” She touched Catra’s shoulder. She couldn’t say no.

“Fine! But if I drown, I’m taking you with me!”

“Deal! This is going to be so much fun!”

* * *

After they finished eating, they waited awhile to rest their stomachs and chat, which gave Catra ample time to people watch. Not surprisingly, the beach had filled up quite a bit since they got there this morning. There was a family on their left side, a couple to their right, and assumedly more college students behind them given how obnoxious they were being. The whole time they were hooting and hollering. A few of the guys from the group even tried to chat them up, before Catra tore them a new one and drove them off. Luckily, they were seated close enough to the water that there was no one in front of them. Catra didn’t admit it, but overall, Glimmer and Bow had found a pretty decent spot.

Catra then heard her group of ‘friends,’ no, ‘aquaintances’ go silent and she looked back over to them. Apparently, Adora had turned her attention back to the water. “Ready?”

“No.”

“You’ll be fine, trust me!”

Adora stood from her chair and waited for Catra to join her, who was reluctantly getting up from her chair.

“Nothin’ better bite me while we’re out there!” They headed towards the water as Glimmer and Bow looked on.

“They are so gay for each other.” Bow shamelessly stated.

“I know, right!” Glimmer responded.

“We need to figure out how to get them together by the end of senior year.”

“Agreed. They’re practically together already so it shouldn’t be that hard.”

“I don’t know, they’re both pretty stubborn. I think they’re waiting for the other to crack first.”

“True. So, what’s the plan?”

“Heck, if I know. We can figure that out later. Let’s just enjoy our last weekend off.”

Glimmer and Bow continued talking as they saw Catra hesitantly following Adora closer to the water.

“You’re going to be okay Catra. If anything happens, I’ll protect you.”

The thought brought happiness to Catra’s heart and a smile to her face. They always looked after each other no matter what. Catra felt the first laps of water wash over her feet, she looked down, before looking out again. Now that she was actually going to do this, the ocean looked huge and intimidating. Catra instinctually reached out for Adora’s left hand, who took it without second thought. She wouldn’t admit it out loud, but she was scared.

_Fuck…here goes nothing, I guess._

“Just follow my lead.” Adora began walking into the water and Catra followed until the water reached her knees.

“Is this far enough yet?”

“No, we have to get you to at least your waist.” Adora gently tugged on Catra’s right hand.

“Okay…”

They reached a spot in the water that wasn’t too crowded and Adora stopped walking. The water was just to Catra’s waist, probably three to three and a half feet of water. She was still holding Catra’s hand as she spoke.

“See…not that bad, right?”

“I hate it.”

“Catra.”

“Why do people keep saying my name like that today!”

“Do you feel comfortable, or not? Please, be honest.”

“I guess, it’s not as bad as I thought it would be…but, I’m still…nervous.”

It seemed like Adora appreciate Catra finally giving in to her, not like she could resist in the first place, as she cracked a large smile.

“Good. It’s okay to be nervous.” Adora was still holding Catra’s hand. “Now, the first thing we usually teach people is how to float. So, what I want you to do is bend your knees, so your body is completely submerged and try to lift your legs off the bottom.”

“Are you sure?” Catra wasn’t necessarily questioning Adora as much as she was herself.

“Catra, I spent the past three summers as a lifeguard. Yes, I’m sure.”

“I know, I know. Just, don’t teach me like one of those five-year olds.”

Catra slowly began squatting down, keeping her eyes on Adora, to give herself some grounding. She felt herself starting to become weightless, like when you take a bath but amplified. She quickly lifted both legs of the seafloor. She was sinking, which made her panic. Fortunately, Adora caught her left elbow just in time so she didn’t slip under the water.

“Eager.” Adora said through a giggle.

“You didn’t say I was going to sink! I’m just trying to get this over with!”

Even though she was thoroughly hating this, she was relishing in the attention she was receiving from Adora right now.

“That’s not how buoyancy works Catra, and you can’t rush learning how to swim.”

“Fucking fantastic.”

Adora rolled her eyes. “I’m going to slowly let go of your elbow, okay?

Catra nodded and felt Adora slowly releasing her grip from her elbow. She sunk lower into the water, slowly lifted her feet off the seafloor, and she could feel herself become weightless. Catra then felt the grip on her right hand begin to waiver.

“Adora…” The nervousness was evident in Catra’s voice.

“You’re fine, I’m here.” Adora’s voice was very reassuring.

Adora fully released her grip on Catra’s hand and she was floating in the water unassisted.

“Look at you!”

“Yeah, I guess it’s really not that bad.”

Then Catra felt something brush against her leg. She immediately planted her feet back on the seafloor, bolted upright, and grabbed onto Adora’s upper arm after letting out an embarrassing yelp and yelling, “What the hell was that!”

Adora had the nerve to laugh at her. “There are fish out her Catra, this isn’t a pool.”

“I didn’t know fish were out here gettin’ physical with people’s legs!”

That made Adora laugh even harder. “It probably just bumped against you; it happens all the time.”

“All the time? Gross!” Catra released the hold on Adora’s arm. Apparently, she had a tight enough hold on her arm that upon release it left a white outline on Adora’s skin before turning back to normal.

_Whoops_, she thought.

“Other than being scared by fish, I think you did a pretty good job. Did you want to try floating on your back?”

“What?! No one told me I had to get my hair wet today! Do you know how long it takes to make it look like this?”

“Catra, we are at a beach, it was going to happen eventually. The ends of your hair are already wet from floating before.”

Catra reach back a hand, and indeed her hair was already wet. _Great._

“I know you’re enjoying torturing me, so sure!” She was being defensive, but Catra was actually interested in feeling what floating on your back felt like. The water today wasn’t rough, so they wouldn’t have to worry about strong waves either.

“Alright, miss dramatic.” Catra glared at Adora. “What I need you to do is get into the same position as before.” Catra squatted down in the water again. “Good. Now, I’m going to place my hands on your back and shoulder, okay?” She nodded.

She felt Adora’s left hand on her shoulder and her right hand on her lower back. She felt herself being pushed backwards and freaked out for a second.

“You’re doing great!” Adora reassured her. “Start stretching out your arms as legs.”

Catra stretched out her legs and immediately felt them beginning to rise to the surface.

“Good. Now lean back your head until only your face is out of the water.”

“What!?”

“Trust me.”

Catra had no reason not to trust Adora, so she leaned her head back and felt water starting to seep through her hair. Then her ears met the water, before sinking under its surface. She was doing it! She was floating on her back! Catra heard muffled a ‘yay’ coming from Adora and she looked over to see a huge smile on her face.

_She’s proud of me? What a dork._

“What am I supposed to do now?” It was weird hearing her own voice resonating back at her. Having her ears under water was a new experience afterall.

“That’s it! That’s floating.”

“Super fun…glad you taught me this Adora.”

Catra smirked at her so she was aware of her sarcasm. That was her way of saying thank you, but she was getting tired of just floating and having the sun beat down on her face. She looked back at Adora, who was just standing there, watching Catra, her upper half and hair looking way too dry for Catra’s liking. A devious plan formed in her head.

“Hey, Adora?”

“Yeah?”

Catra shifted herself so she was no longer floating on her back but squatted in the water with her feet firmly planted on the seafloor.

“What did lifeguard training teach you about this?!” Catra sprang from the water pushing her hands through the water quickly and directly aimed at Adora, effectively splashing her with a big wave of water. Adora tried to shield herself, but it was too late as water met her. She wiped the excess water from her eyes before calmly responding.

“They told us, that roughhousing should be suspended immediately, because it was a safety risk while in the water.” Adora’s expression became mischievous. “But…since I’m not on guard right now…” She dipped down and drenched Catra in a wave of water.

Catra giggled. “Watch out for rule breaker Adora everyone!” That garnered a few amused looks from the people around them in the water.

“Haha, you’re soooooo funny Catra.” Adora said in a mocking tone.

“Maybe not…but, do you know what is funny?”

“What?”

“This!”

Catra sprang towards Adora wrapping her right leg around hers, successfully throwing her off balance, and pushing against her right shoulder, so that she fell backwards, resulting in her splashing down into the water. Catra was laughing her ass off when Adora reemerged from the water. She slicked the loose strands of hair back from her face before smirking at Catra.

“Ohhhhhh, you wanna play dirty?”

She then saw Adora disappear under the water once again before she felt a loose hold around her waist and the back of her thighs. Adora then fully pressed up against Catra’s lower half as she tightly strengthen the grip around her.

_Ah oh._

Suddenly, she was lifted into the air and tossed like she weighed nothing. Catra was laughing like a child as she crashed back down into the water. Thankfully, she had enough sense to hold her breath, but that was the least of her problems at the moment. She felt a sharp pain on the bottom of her left foot.

She broke the surface of the water shouting “SON OF A BITCH!” and clutched her foot in her hand and Adora moved closed.

“Catra! Are you okay!?”

“I think something happened to my foot! It really hurts.” She was not being dramatic right now. The pain was intense, and she was starting to tear up. Adora must have realized the severity of the situation because of this reaction. Catra was not a crier and if she was in pain, she tried to cover it best as possible.

“Oh my god Catra! I’m so sorry!”

The situation escalated once Adora noticed a slight red tinge to the water where Catra was holding her foot.

“Catra, I think you’re bleeding.”

“Oh, was it that obvious?”

“This is not time the time for sarcasm!” Catra was taken aback by the concern in Adora’s voice. “I going to carry you back to shore. I have a first aid kit in one of the beach bags.”

“Always prepared, aren’t you?”

“I have to be when you’re around.”

Catra supposed that was true. She had been a pretty rowdy kid growing up and had gotten into a few scuffles as a teen. But, Adora was always there to fix her up and Catra was grateful for that.

_I should probably tell her I appreciate the things she does for me more often…_

Adora squatted down into the water and Catra felt her scoop her up under the knees and around her waist. She threw her left arm around Adora’s neck to get a better hold. To be honest, Catra was a little embarrassed by this situation. It’s not like she wasn’t in heaven being carried out of the water by Adora, she just didn’t like all the attention they were getting right now. The people in the water around them and some eagle-eyed individuals on the shore looked on as they approached the beach. Seemingly either impressed that Adora was able to carry Catra out of water like it was an normal thing to be doing, or by the fact of how nonchalant she was acting.

As her feet broke water, Catra saw the blood continue to drip onto the sand and the pain in her foot intensified as it met the salty dry air. She let a pained hiss escape her teeth and a few tears escaped her eyes.

“You okay?”

“Peachy.” Adora glared down at her. “It really hurts…”

This whole spectacle must have alerted Glimmer and Bow that something was happening as they heard Bow call out to them.

“Guys! What happened?!”

He rushed out to meet them as Adora was about halfway back to their spot on the beach already and started to walk with them.

“Show off here thought it would be fun to toss me into the air and I cut my foot on something when I landed.” Catra said bluntly through sniffles and Adora looked guilty.

They reached their canopied beach setup and Adora set Catra down in one of their chairs. She immediately picked up Catra’s left foot and examined the bottom of it. She let out an ‘ooo’ sound as she examined it.

“That’s reassuring.”

“I think you’re going to need stitches Catra…”

“What?!”

“It’s a pretty deep cut, and there’s a little flap…”

“Okay! Spare me of the specifics please.” Catra could still feel the blood leaking down her foot and she saw it slowly accumulating onto the sand below. _Is she just going to keep looking at it? Or is she going to do something?_ Adora must have been reading her mind because she grabbed the first aid kit from their bag and pulled out gauze and a wrap. She elevated Catra’s foot again, flushed it with bottled water, placed the gauze on the wound and tight wrapped her foot to hold the bandage in place and to stop the bleeding.

“So much for beach day…” Glimmer said

“Yeah, I think the party is over you guys.” Adora replied.

The three of them started packing up their belonging while Catra remained in the chair.

“Can you walk now?” Adora asked Catra and she tried to stand but the wound in her foot was too painful. “Okay, I’m going to carry you to the car.”

_Wow, okay. I need to get hurt more often._

“And I’ll help carry your stuff! Glimmer! I’ll come back to help you carry our stuff too” Bow chimed in as he picked up some bags and started heading towards the parking lot.

“Thanks Bow.” Adora responded. She then signaled Catra to stand up on her good leg, which she did, before picking her up again and walking towards the car.

“Oh, now you’re just being a showoff.” Catra teased.

“Catra, you literally can’t walk, what else are we supposed to do?”

“I could crawl.”

“You’d honestly rather crawl back to the car instead of being carried?”

No, no she didn’t. Catra didn’t respond.

“That’s what I thought.” Adora quipped.

_Since when was she feisty? She must just be concerned_. And she was. Adora keep looking down at Catra every five seconds until they reached their car and Catra hobbled into the passenger seat that was covered by a beach towel. Adora handed her the coverup that she was wearing earlier that day and she pulled it over her head. Adora joined Bow at the trunk as they loaded up their beach supplies. The sun was starting to go down and Catra was kind of disappointed that she wouldn’t be able to see the sunset from the seashore.

_It would have been beautiful._

“Bye Bow! Thanks again! I’ll text you an update later okay?” Adora said to Bow as he started to walk back towards the beach.

Catra heard the trunk close and the driver door open and Adora climbed in. She must have put on her t-shirt before getting in, because she definitely wasn’t wearing that while she was carrying Catra, which did not go unnoticed by herself and other beachgoers. They pulled out of the parking lot.

“So are we going to the walk-in clinic or the ER?” Catra asked.

“ER.” Adora responded and Catra cringed.

“I hate that place.”

“I know, but I think your wound is too severe for a walk-in place. They’d probably just send you to the ER anyway.”

“Okay, you’re the expert.” Catra shrugged her shoulders.

“I’m no expert, I just want my bestie to get the best care.” She glanced at Catra and smiled before turning her attention back to the road.

“Such a sap.” Catra laughed.

They chatted the rest of the car ride to the ER.

* * *

It was dark outside by the time they got back to their complex building. Walking up the three flights of stairs to their apartment was a fun experience. After they stitched up her foot, they gave Catra crutches to use since she had to ‘keep as much pressure off her foot as possible,’ and she was not about to let Adora carry her anymore today. But, when she finally made it to their door she had never felt so relieved to walk into that tiny apartment. She crutched over to the couch and sat down.

“Today was a fun day, right?”

“A total blast Adora.”

“Awww, come on! You can’t tell me you didn’t have fun before your got hurt.”

To be fair, Catra did enjoy today more than she thought she would.

“It was ‘aight.”

“I knew you would like it.”

“Nooooooooo.”

“Yes.”

“Whatever. Fine. It wasn’t terrible, and your friends were actually nice to me today.”

“Glad you enjoyed it then.” Adora smiled at her.

Catra saw Adora make her way over to their forgotten beach supplies and began putting things away in their proper places.

_So, she can keep the living room clean, but not her bathroom? Funny_. Catra thought before turning her attention back to herself. She was still her swimsuit and t-shirt from earlier and she realized how sticky and crusty she felt. _Gross, I need a shower desperately_. She called out to Adora.

“Well, I need to take a shower and apparently I need to be ‘supervised’ to make sure I don’t fall. So, can you sit on my bed while I get clean?”

“Yeah…of course.”

They walked into Catra’s room and Adora opted to sit in Catra’s desk chair since she didn’t shower yet either and she wasn’t about to dirty her bedsheets. Catra wrapped her injured foot in a bag and taped it around her leg, so she wouldn’t get her wound wet. She stepped into the bathroom and closed the door, slipped out of the coverup and swimsuit, cracked the door open barely enough for her arm to fit through and tossed the items at Adora.

“There’s your shitty shirt and swimsuit back!”

“Gee, thanks.”

“You’re welcome!”

Catra turned on her shower and let down her hair as she waited for the water to get warm.

_I fucking hate this thing on my foot._

She washed her body and hair all while balancing on her right foot. She stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around herself before she realized something.

“Adora?”

“Yeah?”

“I forgot to bring clothes in here with me…”

“Oh?”

_Oh, indeed._

“Yeah, can you just hand me my pjs that I had on this morning? They should still be on my bed and a pair of underwear from the top drawer on the right.

“Sure thing, one sec!”

Catra heard rustling noises in her room before there was a knock on the door. She creaked open the door so she could stick her head out. She saw Adora standing there with and outstretched arm holding her stuff. Catra noticed Adora glance down through the crack in the door before looking at her in the eyes again.

_Did she just check me out? I’m barely out the door! There’s nothing to see! Maybe Bow is on to something…._

Catra opened the door a little bit more and took the items from Adora.

“Thanks.”

“No problem. Now, if you’re done, I’m going to go shower too.”

“Good to go here bud.”

_Bud? What the fuck Catra? I’m an idiot._

“Alright, I’ll meet up with you in the living room?”

“Yep.”

The conversation had somehow gotten awkward again. Catra tried to ignore it as she removed the bag from her foot, applied product throughout her hair and detangled her curls. She also noticed how dry her skin felt, but she did note that she had tanned a little when she was applying lotion to her body. Catra got dressed, picked up her crutches, made her way to the living room sofa, propped her left foot up on the couch, and turned on the tv. She sat there for a good twenty-five minutes before she heard Adora.

“Uh, hey Catra?”

“What’s up?”

“Do you think you could help me?”

“With?”

Adora stepped out of her room into the living room and what Catra saw was pretty hilarious and also very distracting. Adora was only wearing her towel, which exposed her beet red shoulders, arms and neck, which oddly contrasted against her unburned legs. Given the fact that Adora was basically naked right now, and standing boldly in the living room, made Catra blush.

“How did you manage to get sunburnt?” Catra managed to utter out through laughs and embarrassment. “You literally drenched yourself in sunscreen!”

“I remembered that I forgot to reapply when I got out of the water the first time.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah…so, could you help me apply some aloe? It really stings and I think this might help it.”

_She wants me…to help apply aloe…to her body…?_

“Uh…yeah…of course.”

“Great, thanks….”

Catra got up from her place on the couch and used one crutch to wobble her way over to where Adora was standing, this way she was able to have one free hand. Adora handed her the bottle of aloe while giving her a look that Catra didn’t quite understand. She tried not to think about it as she made her way to Adora’s back. This was were the worst of the burn was. _She must have had her back towards the sun when she was teaching me how to swim_ Catra thought.

She squeezed some of the aloe into her right hand and gently placed her hand on Adora’s back. Catra felt her tense underneath of her hand and Adora made a ‘sssssss aaaaaaa’ sound. Catra wasn’t expecting that.

“You okay?”

“I’m good. Aloe just feels really cold when you first put it on.”

_Okay._

Catra began moving her hand in slow circles on Adora’s back spreading an even coating across the whole area. She got more from the bottle as she moved onto the back of Adora’s left arm and then her right. Satisfied, she moved to stand in front of Adora before catching her intense gaze again.

_What…is happening right now?_

It was almost as if Adora was waiting for Catra to do something that was expected but would also be unexpected if she decided to break that barrier.

_Fuck it._ She had already thought that too many times today.

Catra squeezed more aloe from the bottle, looked at Adora again for a sign of refusal, before bringing her hand to Adora’s chest and applying aloe there.

“You know I can get the front myself, right?”

“I know.”

Catra had broken the barrier.

She continued applying aloe to Adora’s chest. When she reached towards here neck, she could feel her harshly swallow. _Interesting_. She thought, before moving to her arms. Catra could feel Adora watching her the entire time, but Catra kept her eyes on the hand that was on Adora’s body, too scared to look up from what she was doing. After completely covering her upper half in aloe, Catra remembered that small cutout on Adora’s stomach. She looked down, only to see towel, but Adora must have sensed what she was thinking as Catra heard her take in a sharp breath. She looked back up at her face, holding her gaze for a moment, (_if those eyes could talk)_ before handing back over the aloe bottle.

“I think we’re done here princess.”

Adora had to blink out of whatever haze she was currently in.

“Uh, thanks…again.”

“No worries.”

They both gave each other a gentle smile and Catra had found her sarcastic self again.

“You know, we are gonna look so good for classes on Monday. Me, limping on crutches and you, lookin’ like tomato. People are not gonna be able to keep their hands off of us!”

_Probably a bad pun, since I literally just had my hands all over you…_

Luckily, Adora laughed.

“Oh, yes. I don’t know how I’ll handle all the attention! People will practically be throwing their numbers at us while gawking. How will we ever survive?”

Catra enjoyed sarcastic Adora. It was a side that didn’t come out too often. She continued.

“Anyway, we should probably go to bed. I don’t want to be too exhausted for the first day of classes.”

“Always so regimented, aren’t you Adora?”

“Yeah, yeah. We’ll have to do this again in the morning by the way. Goodnight!”

“Night.”

Adora left the living room and went to her bedroom, closing the door behind her. Catra turned off the tv and headed to her room to settle down for the night. She climbed into bed, pulled the covers over herself and snuggled into her pillow.

_I can’t believe I did that. But…she wants me to do it again tomorrow? Maybe I should take a closer look at this ‘friendship’ of ours._

Catra was looking forward to the morning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys liked it!
> 
> Next Chapter: It's movie night!
> 
> Update September 23rd.
> 
> Follow me on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/simplyabsolute1) and/or [Tumblr](https://simplyabsolute.tumblr.com/)
> 
> Fan Art:  
[Trying on suits scene](https://simplyabsolute.tumblr.com/post/189673487232/throwback-all-the-way-back-to-chp-1-beach-day-of) by @spicybutch


	2. Movie Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adora gathers supplies for movie night after getting let out of class early, and after a quick chat with Glimmer and Bow she’s left slightly agitated. But, nothing can ruin tonight for Adora! Unbeknownst to Catra, the movie that her roommate has picked out is part of a time old tradition that began in high school, one that she can’t stand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back with another chapter! Hope you guys like it, but here is some additional information that might be helpful too:
> 
> Timeline: September
> 
> Also, this is probably important...  
Majors: Adora (Sports Medicine) Catra (Art) Glimmer (Political Science) Bow (Theatre) Entrapta (Mechanical Engineering) Scorpia (Humanities)
> 
> Please enjoy Catra and Adora’s (well, mostly Catra's) commentary on a 1997 classic.

It had been three weeks since the beach accident. Catra’s foot was almost fully healed, and she had just gotten her stitches removed last week. A couple more days of light physical activity and then she could finally get back to her normal routine. Adora had helped greatly in Catra’s recuperation and made sure that she did not break any of the restrictions that the doctor had given her while she recovered, much to Catra’s annoyance.

Adora’s sunburn was also long gone by now. She remembers walking into class on the first day, wearing a long-sleeved shirt and jeans despite it being almost ninety degrees that day. She didn’t want any of her classmates staring or making fun of her, so she decided to struggle through the discomfort until she was finally able to shed her layers when she got home.

It had also been three weeks since Catra had broken that barrier in her and Adora’s friendship? Relationship? The incident had gone unmentioned between the girls, both opting to remain quiet about it for their own reasons, but Adora believed that bringing up the ‘aloe rubdown’ might push Catra away. She knew that was probably an invalid excuse, because she knows that Catra would always be by her side, so she decided to blame it on how busy she had been because of school. Which wasn’t entirely untrue.

The first few weeks of the semester had flown by and Adora hadn’t really been able to see Catra let alone speak with her. Their class schedules often conflicted with one another and when they were in the same place together, they were always too exhausted to do anything.

Up until tonight, their routine had remained basically the same: wakeup, eat breakfast, go to classes, eat lunch, go back to class, come home, eat dinner, do homework, shower, sleep and repeat. And you would call it a good day if you were actually able to get all three meals in one day and get more than four hours of sleep at night. It was repetitive and it was absolutely grueling.

This is why Adora was looking forward to tonight. It was movie night! It had become somewhat of a tradition for the two of them to have a movie night at least once a month during the school year. This is how they grounded themselves back to reality and more importantly back to one another. Just thinking about tonight made her smile.

Adora had gotten out of class early today after a test and she already knew that it was going to be one of Catra’s late days. She probably wouldn’t be home until around seven-thirty or eight, so Adora had the rest of the evening to set up and prepare for movie night. She decided to stop by the grab-and-go store just off campus to get a few snacks and other essentials for tonight.

While walking to the store, backpack slung over her left shoulder, she checked her phone for the time. Three-forty-five. _Still plenty of time left_, she thought. She continued walking to the store as she scanned through messages on her phone from Glimmer and Bow in their group chat. _39 unread messages. Geez you guys. It’s only been like…what? An hour? _She thought. Thankfully, Adora had been smart enough to put her phone on silent before the test. She did not need to be accused of cheating on her test during her second to last semester of school.

She continued scrolling up on her phone until she reached the top of her unread messages and by the looks of it, Glimmer and Bow were both having interesting days too.

_2:34, Glimmer: I am having the WORST day right now!!!_

_2:37, Bow: OMG Glimmer! What’s up?! _

_2:39, Glimmer: Some asshat nearly ran me over on my way to class and I left my notebook in my dorm! Ugh! I had to take notes on my phone!_

_2:42, Bow: WOW! Well, I’m glad you’re okay, but how did you forget your notebook? It’s always in your bag. Btw, taking notes on your phone sucks._

_2:43, Glimmer: IKR!!! I left it on my desk. Believe it or not, I was actually studying last night…_

_2:43, Bow: You, were WHAT?! Glim I’m so proud of you! _😭😭😭😭😭

_2:44, Glimmer: _🙄_ Yeah, I have a pretty big test in my foreign affairs class next week. Anyway, anything new with you guys?_

_2:47, Bow: I made a new friend today!_

_2:48, Glimmer: Really? Who?_

_2:49, Bow: Yeah! His stage name is Sea Hawk (I’ll have to catch his real name later) but he was helping out with stage design today._

_2:51, Bow: Apparently, he’s a theatre alumnus? Graduated a few years back and he still helps out as a volunteer sometimes!_

_2:54, Glimmer: OOOOOO that’s so nice of him! Sounds like you really like him Bow… Is he in the running? _😉

_2:57, Bow: NONONONONO! It’s not like that! I look up to him as a role model if anything. Plus, he has a girlfriend, who graduated the same year as him with a marine biology degree._

_3:00, Glimmer: Uh, huh. Sounds like you know a lot about him for someone who only sees him as a role model. I think you secretly idolize him._

_3:02, Bow: Isn’t that like the same thing? _🤔

_3:03, Glimmer: No, a role model is someone you look up to. An idol is someone you admire and obsess over._

_3:03, Bow: WHAT!?! I DO NOT OBSESS OVER HIM!!!_

_3:04, Glimmer: Keep telling yourself that Bow._

_3:06, Bow: _🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄

_3:07, Bow: Whatever._

_3:08, Bow: I knew I shouldn’t have told you Glimmer…you always make such a big deal out of small things…_

_3:10, Glimmer: Awwwww, come on Bow I was just teasing, right Adora?_

_3:10, Glimmer: Wait, has Adora responded to us at all lately?_

_3:12, Bow: I just scrolled back through our messages. She hasn’t._

_3:13, Glimmer: Adora! What are you doing!!!!_

_3:14, Glimmer: I need you to back me up here!_

_3:15 Glimmer: ADORA!!!!_

_3:15, Gimmer: A_

_3:16, Glimmer: D_

_3:16, Glimmer: O_

_3:16, Glimmer: R_

_3:16, Glimmer: A_

_3:18, Bow: She’s gonna hate you for blowing up her phone._

_3:19, Bow: Maybe she’s off doing something with Catra?_

_3:21, Glimmer: God, I hope! *wink emoji* The tension between those two is unbearable!_

_3:22, Bow: GLIMMER!!!_

_3:23, Glimmer: What? _🤷_ It’s true!_

_3:23, Bow: THIS IS A GROUP CHAT WITH ADORA REMEMBER?!_

_3:24, Glimmer: _🤷

Adora was flabbergasted about how quickly and drastically Bow and Gimmer’s side conversation had changed subjects. The mention of Catra, and how Glimmer was perceiving their ‘friendship’ really caught her off guard, but she decided to keep it cool.

_3:51, Adora: Hey guys! I had a test today, remember? Just got out of class. Congrats on making a new friend btw Bow._

_3:52, Glimmer: Oh, look who’s finally here._

_3:52, Bow: Thank you! No! I didn’t remember your test! Sorry Adora! And, I want to profusely apologize for what Glimmer said in this convo earlier!!!! What are you up to?_

_3:53, Adora: It’s really no problem. _(It was a problem)_ I’m heading to the store to get some stuff._

_3:53, Bow: Oh, is it stuff for movie night?_

_3:54, Adora: Yep _😄

_3:54, Glimmer: oooooo “movie night” _😘

_3:55, Bow: GLIMMER!!!! ADORA SOOOOO I’M SORRY!!!!!!!_

Adora just shook her head, honestly kind of fed up with the conversation, before she put the group chat on mute for the rest of the day and tucked her phone back into her pocket. She shouldn’t be too far for the store now.

_Why is Glimmer acting so pushy today?_ Adora thought while walking and observing her surroundings.

It was no secret to Bow and Glimmer that Adora had romantic feelings for Catra for as long as she can remember. And it seemed that those feelings got stronger with each passing year. She remembers confiding with her friends about a year ago. Which would have been two years after she had met them freshman year of college and had built a sturdy and strong bond with them. It felt good to tell people she trusted about these things. So, when she finally opened up to them, she did not expect the reaction she received.

_“Wait, are you serious?” Bow had said. “I thought you two were already together!”_

_“What? No! We’re just friends and I don’t want to ruin what we have!” Adora remembers saying. “Which is why I don’t want you guys bringing this up with anyone, especially her.”_

_“You both are oblivious idiots in denial.” Glimmer had responded._

Adora had asked for them to respect her wishes which they had been doing for the past year. Or at least she had hoped they were doing so. Which is why she just didn’t understand why Glimmer was being so forward lately. _Is she planning something? Does Bow know about this? His texts seemed a little suspicious. Did Catra tell them something?_ Of all the questions floating around in her head, she knew she wouldn’t have to worry about that last one. _Catra would never confide in them._ She laughed at her own thoughts before thinking again. _Right?_

By the time Adora got to store it was just a little after four o’clock. When she walked in, she noticed how busy it was. Unusually crowded for a Friday afternoon. The majority of classes wouldn’t have gotten out yet, so she wondered why it was this packed. _Weird_, she thought. But then she remembered that it was still early on in the school year and people were probably gathering last minute supplies for meals and snacks between classes.

Adora roamed the aisles before she decided on buying a frozen pizza, microwavable popcorn, chips and cookies. _The perfect mix of salty and sweet! Even if it isn’t super healthy…We can slack off for just tonight! _She was headed towards the checkout when something caught her eye on display at the end of one of the isles.

Beer.

On sale.

Catra’s favorite brand too.

Adora wasn’t personally a fan of drinking, mostly because in large quantities she gets all hot and bothered, but she knew that Catra enjoyed a cold one to relax after a long day. And this certainly would have been a long day for her. On days like today, Catra would be away from the apartment for more than twelve hours. She would be running around, from place to place constantly, it seemed like a lot of her classes took place all the way on the other side of campus sometimes.

So, Adora picks up a six pack and heads to the ten items or less checkout line. After getting carded by the cashier, which was still a weird feeling to her, and paying, Adora started the trek back to her car and then she drove home.

* * *

It was almost five o’clock when she got home. The first thing Adora did was put the beer in the fridge, put the pizza in the freezer and grabbed something to eat now. She decided to keep it light since she knew that they would be indulging in snacks later, so she decided to make some meat and cheese rollups accompanied by a small side salad. Catra would probably call her out right now for being such a ‘stupid healthy jock,’ and the thought brought a smile to her face. What can she say? She found Catra’s insults charming at times.

After she finished eating, she placed her dishes in the sink to be washed later. An apartment that didn’t have a stove top or oven certainly wouldn’t have a dishwasher. She walked past Catra’s bedroom, which always had the door closed, even if she wasn’t home, ‘for privacy reasons’ she had told Adora the last time she brought it up, even though she has clearly violated that rule several times, before she entered her own bedroom.

There, she stripped off her clothes that she had been wearing that day, denim shorts and university branded t-shirt, and tossed them into her hamper when she entered her bathroom. She turned on the shower to heat up before removing her undergarments. Showering was one of Adora’s favorite pastimes. She thoroughly enjoyed being clean and Catra would often make fun of her for enjoying such a mundane activity so much.

While in the shower, Adora washed her hair and body thoroughly before stepping out and drying off. She opted to let her hair air dry today since she had nowhere else to be this afternoon. Back in her bedroom, she slipped on a clean pair of underwear, a bralette, leggings and a loose tank top.

Adora grabbed two unused pillows from her bed and a spare blanket from her closet and walked back out to the living room and set them down on the couch. _For extra comfy-ness_, she thought. She fluffed up the pillows before placing one against each armrest and laying the folded blanket across the back of the couch. _Perfect._

It was now just after six o-clock. Catra wouldn’t be home for another hour and a half at the earliest. Adora decided to do some homework in her room while she waited for Catra to get back home. However, before settling down at her desk, she set an alarm for seven on her phone to remember to put the pizza in their toaster over so it would be ready when Catra arrived.

She sat down at her desk, opened her up her laptop and signed into her school portal to pull up an assignment that was due in a few days. She knew that she still had plenty of time left to complete the assignment, but she hated procrastinating and knew that it would bug her if she didn’t at least get a head start on it.

Anyhow, before she could begin to make any real progress on her assignment, she heard her phone buzz next to her. She had placed it face down on her desk after setting the alarm for the pizza earlier. Adora picks up the phone, glances at her screen and sees it’s from her roommate. _Catra_, she smiles as she unlocks her phone.

_6:23, Catra: Hey, did you get home okay?_

Adora reads that message and feels her chest tighten. She can’t believe that she forgot to text her when she got home. It was something that was second nature to her at this point. They always let each other know when they got somewhere safely. It just put the others mind at rest. Adora felt bad, she had just been so caught up in her movie night preparations that it slipped her mind.

_6:23, Adora: Oh, yeah, I did. Sorry I didn’t text you. I was getting stuff for movie night!_

_6:24, Catra: lol okay dork._

_6:24, Adora: Thanks for worrying about me, but aren’t you in class right now? lol_

_6:24, Catra: I was not worried about you! And yeah, I am in class right now. What about it?_

_6:25, Adora: Whatever you say Catra and you should be paying attention!_

_6:25, Catra: _🖕

Adora chuckled as she set her phone back down on her desk and got back to work on her assignment. Before she knew it, her seven o’clock alarm was going off. _Thirty or so minutes until Catra gets home_, she thought and there was a large smile on her face. She closed her laptop, got up from her desk and went back into the kitchen. She put the toaster oven on preheat before getting the pizza out of the freezer. Once the pizza was in the toaster oven, Adora sat down on the couch, turned on the tv and waited for Catra to get home and for the pizza to finish. Only time could tell which would come first.

* * *

Turns out, it the pizza finished first.

It was seven-forty-six when Catra finally got home. Adora was alerted to her presence when she heard the sound of keys jingling through the door. She twisted her torso towards the door so she could see when Catra entered and when she did, she looked tired and disheveled. Her torn jeans looked dusty and her light grey top, arms and hands when covered in a rainbow of colors.

“What happened to you?” Adora asked through a giggle as she looked at Catra. “It looks like pride fest threw up on you.”

“Nice to see you too princess.” Catra glared at her, before moving away from the door to set down her art tote on the floor, and to remove her backpack and shoes. “We had to use pastel chalk in class today! Do you know how much I **fucking** hate pastel chalk?”

Adora didn’t know if this was a literal question or not, so she just shook her head for left to right.

“This much!” Catra held her hand above her head to the fullest extent.

“Oh, so not that much?” Adora quipped with a smirk. Catra was a little shorter than Adora, by probably three inches max, but Adora still loved to exaggerate their height difference, just to get a rise out of her.

But Catra apparently wasn’t having any of that today. The next thing Adora sees, is a blur of colors speedily making its way over to the back of the couch. When she stopped, Catra leaned over the couch far enough to land a direct punch on Adora’s left arm. It was hard enough to make Adora recoil slightly, but not painful in the slightest.

“Haha Adora, you’re so god damn funny.” Catra said in a mocking tone as she landed a few more punches on Adora’s left arm.

“Hey! Hey! No roommate abuse!” Adora semi-shouted as she pretended to shield herself.

Catra finally backed off and Adora noticed that her arm was now covered in an array of colorful smears from Catra’s hands. She rubbed her arm where she’d been hit to remove the colors as Catra started walking to her room presumably to change.

As she walked into her bedroom, Adora heard Catra continue the conversation with herself. “Like I don’t fucking know why my instructor wants us to use the most ridiculous medium he can give us. Who does he think we are? Fucking Matisse? With all his colors and shit? Please.”

_Note to self, never buy Catra pastel chalk_, Adora told herself.

Catra’s bedroom door was still open when Adora her the sound of running water. _Is she really taking a shower right now? With her door open? That can’t be right. _Adora told herself. But she was nosy.

“Hey, Catra?!” She shouted loud enough so Catra could hear her.

“Yeah?!”

“What are you doing?”

“Washing the fucking pastel chalk off myself! Why?!”

“…In the shower?”

“What? No! I’m just using my sink!”

_Okay, good._ She thought.

When Catra reemerged from her bedroom, she was wearing bike shorts and an oversized sweatshirt. It looked super comfortable if Adora were to be honest and kind of cute. She just stared at her for a few seconds before she realized that she should probably say something.

“I made pizza.”

“I was wondering what smelled burnt when I walked in here.” Catra smirked.

“It’s not burnt! Oh, and I have a surprise for you!”

Adora got off the couch and made her way over to the kitchen, looking over her shoulder to make sure that Catra followed behind her. She was, but she was doing so very skeptically.

“What is it Adora…?”

“Look in the fridge.”

Catra walked over to the fridge and opened the door. When she did, Adora heard Catra giggle slightly.

“Beer?”

“Yeah, I figured you probably want something to relax after this long day. And after this apparent ‘pastel chalk incident’ I’m kind of glad I decided to get it.”

Catra gave her a smile before speaking again.

“Uh oh, look who let her hair down for movie night!” She said. It was both literal and figurative of course. Since Adora’s hair was still air drying and all.

“No, it’s for you. You know I don’t like drinking.”

“Come on! At least share one with me! You don’t even have classes tomorrow!”

Adora looked away and contemplated for a moment. She knew that she probably shouldn’t drink but sharing one beer really wouldn’t do much to her. Or so she hoped. She was having an internal battle with herself and Catra must have been reading her face because when she spoke again Adora was not expecting what she heard.

“Please?”

“Wow, pulling out the p-word huh? You must really want me to drink.”

“We both deserve to relax Adora.” Catra said in an unusually stern tone.

_Fair point_, she thought. “Okay, fine.”

“Yes! Finally! Let loose!” Catra had a mini celebration in the kitchen. Happy that she was able to break through Adora’s uptightness even if only for tonight. “But seriously, thank you for this. All of this.” Catra gestured to the beer, pizza and to the living room where the movie night setup was.

_Don’t thank me just yet_, Adora thought. She knew Catra was not going to be happy with her movie selection. However, she was appreciative of Catra’s apparent gratefulness.

The girls each grabbed some pizza and Catra pulled two beers out of the fridge. Adora gave her a questioning look.

“What? One for us to ‘share’ and the other is entirely for me.”

“Catra, I am not drinking a whole beer by myself.”

“I literally just said one is for us to share. Do you not believe me?”

Adora did not believe her. This is how usually how Catra had tricked her to drinking more than she wanted to in the past. The only times she remembers getting blackout drunk, which was only twice, happened with Catra. Once, after high school graduation and the second was when she turned twenty-one last year.

“I’m not falling for this trick Catra.”

“No tricks. I promise.”

“Mmhhmm.” Adora hummed. “Okay.”

Catra just winked at her as she made her way out of the kitchen past Adora. She probably would have smiled if her mouth wasn’t currently occupied with the bottle opener she had placed in it before carrying the two beers in one hand and her plate of pizza in the other.

Adora didn’t know why she found this so attractive, but how Catra looked in this moment was one of the hottest things she’s ever seen. Catra was already out of the kitchen before Adora could force herself to speak again.

“I could have helped you with some of that you know?” Adora said as she followed behind Catra with her own pizza in hand.

She saw Catra shrug her left shoulder. “I didn’t need help.” Catra said through gritted teeth clamped around the bottle opener.

“Alight, stubborn.” Catra looked back at her just to make sure that Adora saw her roll her eyes.

They made their way back to the living room, placed their stuff down on the coffee table and finally sat down on the couch. Facing the tv, Adora sat on the right, where she had been when Catra got home, and Catra sat on the left side. She opened both bottles of beer, took a swig out of one and handed it to Adora.

“See. Sharing.” Catra winked at her for the second time tonight.

Adora took a sip out of the same bottle before setting it down between them on the coffee table.

“Now we both can reach it.” She said looking directly at Catra, so her message was clear.

Catra wasn’t putting up with Adora’s shit tonight. “Uh, huh. Sure. So, what garbage movie did you pick out this time?” She said through a mouth full of pizza.

“It’s a classic. One we’ve seen many times.” Adora playfully raised and lowered her brows a few times. She knew Catra wasn’t going to be happy, but she could still have fun tonight, right? She was going to try to make the most of it.

Adora could practically see the gears turn in Catra’s head as she thought. And then a look of sheer panic and realization was plastered across her face. One could even call it a look of absolute horror. She turned to look Adora directly in the eyes.

“Adora, no.”

“Yes.”

“Adora…NO! Catra pleaded.

“Yes!”

“NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!” She cried out.

“Come on! It’s a tradition! You honestly should have been expecting it.”

“I’d rather throw myself out of this three-story apartment window right now than continue that tradition.”

“Why are you always so dramatic!? It’s not that bad of a movie Catra.”

“Adora. Titanic is literally the worst romance movie ever written. It’s full of historical inaccuracies, the plot sucks and the actors can’t act worth a shit.”

Adora knew how much Catra hated watching the Titanic, but ever since sophomore year in high school, it had become somewhat of a tradition to watch it at least once a year. And since they haven’t watched it once this year and it was already September, Adora thought that this was the perfect opportunity to continue that tradition. Even if it was to Catra’s dismay.

“I, for one, enjoy the plot and I’m willing to overlook the mistakes made by the director and actors because of it.”

“Only a girl like you would like such a terrible movie.” Catra glanced at the bottles on the coffee table. “It really is a good thing you bought me this beer then.” She took a long drink from the other bottle that was closest to her.

“Hey! I thought we were sharing!”

She shrugged her shoulders. “Whoops, my bad.”

“I’m not playing this game Catra.”

“What game? Don’t know what you’re talking about. Just put on your shitty movie already.”

Adora huffed. She knew that Catra was trying to get her to drink more than she actually wanted to. Which didn’t really annoy her as much as pretended she did. _Maybe Catra already knows that?_ She thought. Adora picked up the beer on the table and took a real drink out of it this time, before handing it back to Catra.

“See. Sharing” She mocked Catra’s previous incantation.

“Okay, princess.” Catra eyed her before drinking from the same bottle and placing it back where it had been on the coffee table.

Adora pulled up some streaming service and hit play on the movie. She could hear Catra let out a loud groan as the first images lit up the screen. They had just barely gotten to the beginning of the opening scene where the treasure hunters pull the safe out of the wreckage.

Catra fake gasped. “Wow! A safe! But, wait! There’s nothing in the safe! Would have never of guessed that! How’d they even find that safe anyway? Very unlikely.”

“It could be possible Catra. They’ve recovered a lot of artifacts from the ship.”

“Okay. But, there’s no way in hell that an eighty-five-year-old charcoal drawing would have survived underwater that long. I should know! I’m an art major! And of course, the woman from this drawing who is now over a hundred fucking years old just so happens to be watching the news footage at just the right time! HOW CONVENIENT!!!”

“Catra! Shhhhhh!”

“Fine!”

But Catra just couldn’t contain her annoyance.

“Ship of dreams my ass.” She mumbled under her breath, but Adora’s focus remained on the tv.

Their watching had gone uninterrupted until that scene where Rose is unpacking the Picasso’s in her cabin. Catra leaned up from where she was slouched on the couch to get a better look at the tv, which surprised Adora given what they were watching and Catra’s hatred for it. As she leaned forward, she squinted her eyes with an intense focus before slapping herself on her forehead and dragging her hand down her face.

“Okay, okay hold up. Is that fucking Les Demoiselles d'Avignon?! How did I never notice that?! We know that for sure wasn’t on the ship because it’s in the MoMA right now! What the fuck James Cameron!”

She grabbed the beer bottle closest to her and chugged it sloppily, wiping the excess that spilled from the corners of her mouth with the back of her hand. Adora was kind of impressed. Catra could handle her alcohol unlike Adora, so a beer and a half was barely enough for her to start to feel a buzz.

“God! I hate this movie!” Catra exclaimed as she got off the couch and went into the kitchen. Adora just looked at her as she walked away. Her constant commentary was starting to get on her nerves, but she was still trying to enjoy tonight and playing it cool.

“Do you need anything while I’m up!?” She called from the kitchen.

“I’ll take some cookies! They should be in the brown bag on the island.” Adora replied.

“Okay!”

“Thanks!”

“I will do anything to get away from that screen right now, so no problem!”

Catra returned carrying another bottle of beer, a bag of chips and Adora’s cookies. When she sat down this time, she swung both of her feet into Adora’s lap and situated herself to lean against the armrest so she could lazily eat from the bag of chips. This caused Adora to set her cookies down on the armrest of the couch and look away from the movie for a moment to the feet now occupying her lap. When she did, she noticed the scar now on Catra’s left foot.

“It looks better.”

“Hm? Oh, that? Yeah. It feels better too.”

“I bet.”

Adora gently touched Catra’s left foot with her left hand and barely ran her thumb over the scar before Catra recoiled her leg.

“That was not an invitation to touch it Adora!”

“Sorry! I just like to see how things heal…sports medicine and all. You know? Plus, I don’t think I gave** you** an invitation to put your feet in my lap.”

“I didn’t think I needed one. Do I?” Catra said in the sassiest way possible.

Adora contemplated for a moment, mostly for show. She already knew the answer. “No.”

“That’s what I thought. Now back to this trash movie, it’s really ironic that Rose and Jack keep being in the same place at the same time, right? Like, he so happens to be there on the back of the ship and prevents her from jumping? And then she almost has the nerve to not say anything while he’s being cuffed? Bitch.”

“It’s just how the movie is Catra! Do you have to complain about the same stuff every year?”

“For as long as you make me watch this movie, year after year, I will continue to complain.”

Adora was now completely annoyed and fed up with Catra’s behavior. She was just trying to enjoy tonight with the person she appreciated the most, but that person was just making tonight a living hell. She pushed Catra’s feet off her lap, which landed on the floor with a thud.

“Well, if you’re having such a bad time…why don’t you just go to bed then!”

Catra was in utter disbelief. Her intent was to bother Adora throughout the movie, not to upset her to this point. She had definitely overstepped some barrier that had managed to set her off. It was never her intention to hurt her feelings or rile her up this much.

“Adora…I…”

“No! Why can’t you just enjoy one of **my** favorite movies with me?”

Catra scooted closer to Adora on the couch and turned so she could face her. Adora was still looking directly at the tv, but Catra swore that she could see her eyes shine in the reflection of the tv with unshed tears.

“I didn’t mean to upset you. Really, I didn’t. I’m sorry. I should be more respectful to your movie preferences no matter what my opinions are because you would do that for me. Sorry, my humor and temperament can be a little brutal at times.”

Adora sighed and turned her head so she could look at Catra.

“There’s no need in apologizing for you just being yourself Catra.”

“There is if it hurts you.”

They held each other’s gaze for a moment. Adora knew Catra was being sincere.

“Thanks, consider your apology accepted.”

Catra smiled. “Is it okay of I stay?”

“Of course.” Adora happily smiled back. “But try to tone it down a little, okay? Just for tonight.”

“I will.”

Catra shifted her body so that she was fully facing the tv once more and she placed herself right up against Adora. Their thighs, arms, and shoulders were touching, and their hands would have been too it Catra’s weren’t currently occupied with her beer bottle. Being this close to Catra was doing something to Adora. She tried to relax but her body remained frozen in place.

_Maybe it was a good thing that Catra had brought out another beer for herself_. She thought.

She leaned forward and picked up their ‘shared’ bottle and downed the rest of it. Adora was currently three-fourths a bottle down and she was already feeling it.

“Wow, I thought you weren’t playing this ‘game’?” Catra said as she was snacking on some chips looking very amused.

“I’m not.” She said and set the now empty bottle back on the coffee table.

Catra eyed her. “Okay, weirdo.”

They watched a little more of the movie before Catra spoke up again.

“Can I make a comment?”

“As long as it’s not insulting. Sure.”

Apparently Catra had been watching the movie seriously enough now not to nitpick ever single detail, instead focusing on the foreshadowing and other problems that with have major consequences.

“Rose being forced to marry for rando man for money. Stupid. Speeding up the boat during an iceberg warning. Stupid. Not enough lifeboats. Stupid.” Catra said.

“Those were just the times, I guess. Always wanting to make an impression, no matter the sacrifice.”

“I suppose, but even I could tell you that having enough lifeboats for everyone on board is probably a smart idea.”

They watched a few more scenes. Catra was slowly beginning to lean harder against Adora’s left side. Her chips were now forgotten on the coffee table and she was still making steady progress on her beer. Adora was thoroughly enjoying her warmth while she was eating her almost forgotten cookies.

“To be honest that whole ‘king of the world’ bit looks kind of fun. No wonder why so many people recreate it.” Catra unexpectedly said.

Adora didn’t know what compelled her to say these next words, but it just happened. Maybe it was the beer? She was a lightweight after all.

“You mean standing on the bow of a ship while your romantic interest holds you from behind or the kissing part?”

“Both.”

It was a good thing that Catra couldn’t see Adora’s face at this moment in time because she would have certainly noticed the deep blush on her face. Catra did however slouch further against the couch and Adora’s side and gently rested her head on her shoulder.

_What is happening!?_ Adora was in full on gay panic mode right now.

She could smell the tropical scent of Catra’s hair products from being this close to her. It was almost overwhelming, but Adora didn’t want this moment to end. But, imagine her surprise when the moment got even better.

Catra had already finished her second beer by this point when the iconic scene of Rose nude on the couch and Jack drawing her came on. This was when Catra full on laid down in Adora’s lap and stretched out before looking her in the eyes and saying: “Draw me like one of your French girls.”

_Is she drunk right now? Now way. She’s only had two beers. She could drink like four and still be okay._ Adora was mentally trying to process what was happening before she heard, and felt, Catra laughing in her lap.

“Ugh! It’s such a corny line!” Catra said through a series hard laughs. “It’s almost cringe worthy at this point!”

_Oh, she was just joking. Thank god_. Adora thought to herself. She relaxed a little.

Catra turned herself so that she was facing towards the tv again while still lying in Adora’s lap. She did not know what she should do with her hands, so she just crossed them over her chest. _Calm down, act cool you totally got this_. Adora gave herself a mental pep talk. But all that went away when she could feel the warmth of Catra’s breath through her leggings on her right thigh. It sent a shiver down her spine and rose goosebumps across her body. She also heard Catra yawn for the first time tonight.

They continued watching the movie in silence until the infamous car sex scene popped up on the screen and Catra just couldn’t contain herself again.

“It’s a good thing they’re not getting that car back. Am I right?”

“Catra, it’s for the…”

“I know, I know. It’s just for the plot or whatever, but I mean, have you ever had sex in a car?”

_That’s a forward question_. Adora thought.

“Can’t say that I have.”

“Oh, probably for the better. It can get…messy.”

_Oh? What does she mean by that? Is she shocked or something? Who does she think I am? Also, does that mean she’s had sex in a car? With who?!_ She decided not to question her.

“Anyway…I need to pee. I’ll be right back.”

“Want me to pause it?”

“Fuck no!”

Adora immediately missed Catra’s warmth when she got up from her lap and went into her room. She thought for a minute before trying something new. If Catra wanted to snuggle, then they would in a better fashion. Adora shifted her body so she was leaning back against to armrest and her left leg was on the couch while her right remained planted on the floor. She prayed that she was reading this situation correctly.

When Catra came back out of her bedroom she just stared at her.

“What…”

Adora gestured for Catra to come over, which she did, and Adora tapped the spot on a cushion that was in between her legs. There was a slight red tint to both of their faces.

“Sit.”

Catra turned around and looked over her shoulder as she positioned herself on the couch. Adora leaned forward to wrap her arms around Catra’s waist and eased her back into her embrace. Catra settled into her hold before speaking.

“This is interesting…” Catra said.

“Interesting good? Or, interesting, bad?” Adora questioned.

“Good.”

Adora smiled even though Catra couldn’t see it. Catra’s hair was so close to Adora’s face right now she could bury herself in it if she wanted to. And with her hands still around her waist, she could feel every breath that Catra took, especially when she yawned. At this point in the movie, the Titanic had already hit the iceberg, Rose saved Jack from drowning below deck, and they are currently running away from Cal, who is trying to kill them.

“So, like they should totally be dead right now.” Catra said through another yawn.

“I mean probably. I see your point on this one.”

“Right! There’s no way they would get that lucky running away from situations that would likely get them killed several times.”

Catra then made a humming noise as if she were thinking before speaking again.

“Woah! Maybe that necklace is a good luck charm! That’s why she’s so lucky and that’s how she’s lived so long.” She says with less clarity and enthusiasm than she had earlier tonight.

Adora then feels Catra shifting her position. Leaving Adora’s embrace, she leans forward and gets up slightly to turn and puts all her weight on her right knee before looking at Adora. Once again asking for permission that is readily given. Catra wedges her right arm between Adora and the couch and uses her left to position herself over Adora before laying down on her stomach and resting her head just below Adora’s chest. She tilted her head up so she could look at her, now wanting verbal confirmation.

“Is this okay?”

Adora thought of an ultimatum, even though she didn’t need one to let Catra continue what she was already doing.

“Only if I get to play with your hair.” She said.

“Fine. Only because I’m really comfortable right now and I probably wouldn’t get up anyway.”

_Yes! _Adora mentally congratulated herself.

They had reached the point in the movie where the ship has sunk, and Rose and Jack are in the water. Adora starts running her fingers through Catra’s hair, fully enjoying the texture and springiness of her curls. Amusing herself, sure, but definitely not doing anything for Catra. So, that’s when she decides to start massaging her scalp and when she hears Catra let out a long exhale.

“Your gonna put a girl to sleep if you keep that up Adora.” Catra mumbled against Adora’s stomach. “Also, they both could totally fit on that door…”

Adora giggles and continues to massage Catra’s scalp and she runs her fingers along her back occasionally. They reach the scene where Rose throws the diamond necklace into the sea and the montage of past and present footage overlap each other. Adora then realized that Catra hadn’t made a snarky comment lately. She always has something to say about the diamond necklace, Celine Dion’s singing, the actors, or James Cameron, literally anything.

“Catra, you’re not going to say anything about that?”

No answer.

“Catra?”

Still no answer.

Adora leaned up slightly from her position on the couch to get a better look at Catra’s face. Her eyes were closed, and her mouth was parted slightly. Apparently, Adora had been so engrossed in the movie finale that she hadn’t noticed that Catra’s breathing had evened out nearly twenty minutes ago. She had fallen asleep in Adora’s arms.

As kids, they had slept next to one another all the time, they were practically inseparable when they were younger. It was a good thing that they lived in close proximity to one another back then because their worrying caretakers would always know where to find them if they weren’t home, they were at the other’s house. There was something nostalgic about this moment, something precious and it wasn’t just Catra’s face.

Adora tosses the spare blanket over them and puts some late-night cable show on in the background for white noise. She then hears her phone buzz on the coffee table. Adora is barely able to reach it and when she does, she sees that it’s Bow, not in the group chat.

_11:51, Bow: So, how was movie night?_

_11:51, Adora: Great! I made her watch Titanic again, but she fell asleep towards the end.”_

_11:52, Bow: Lol idk why you make her watch that movie every year when she hates it.”_

_11:52, Adora: It’s a tradition! Plus, her commentary is funny when it’s not insulting._

_11:52, Bow: Alright. I’m not going to open that can of worms. Sounds like a you and her problem. But, are you just going to leave her on the couch tonight? Since she’s asleep?_

_11:53, Adora: I think we’re both going to be stuck on the couch tonight._

_11:53, Bow: What?_

Adora stretches out her right arm, phone in hand, as she changes the camera to selfie mode. She snaps a pic of Catra asleep on top of her on the couch and hits send. In the photo, the blanket barely reaches Catra’s shoulder blades. The majority of it is gathered around their feet. Adora can also barely see herself around the mass of Catra’s hair and she has her hand placed on her lower back. All Adora is able to really focus on in this picture is Catra’s peacefully calm face.

But another text from Bow pulls her attention away from the picture.

_11:55, Bow: That is…LITERALLY THE MOST PRECIOUS PICTURE I HAVE EVER SEEN!!!!_

_11:55. Bow: YOU GUYS ARE SOOOOOOO CUTE!!!!!!_

_11:55, Bow: Can I send this to Glimmer plz?_

He would probably forward that picture to Glimmer even if Adora decided to say no, so she decided not to fight it. Maybe she actually shouldn’t have taken that picture after all. She was honestly too tired to care right now. That was a problem for future Adora.

_11:55, Adora: Sure, now goodnight._

_11:56: Thank You! Goodnight!_

Adora set her phone back down on the coffee table and closed her eyes. Another metaphorical obstacle towards a relationship had been knocked down tonight and Adora could sense that something was changing. The thought gave her mixed emotions. She was scared and hopeful at the same time. Scared of the unknown, but hopeful that Catra might want the same thing too.

That was another thing for her to worry about later. So Adora decided to focus on something else as she could feel the lull of sleep begin to pull at her. She was already looking forward to their next movie night, but she just wanted to enjoy the moment they were having right now.

There was nothing that could spoil it!

Well, there was one thing.

_I have to pee._ She begrudgingly thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So was that cute, or what? Also, was there foreshadowing in this chapter? You bet there was.
> 
> Next Chapter: Catra and Adora attend the homecoming football game. Or, the fight on the field isn't the only one that's going to happen.
> 
> Update: October 2nd
> 
> Follow me on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/simplyabsolute1) and/or [Tumblr](https://simplyabsolute.tumblr.com/)
> 
> Fan Art:  
[Adora's Selfie](https://simplyabsolute.tumblr.com/post/189739016612/when-you-take-a-selfie-with-your-not-gf-who-fell) by @spicybutch


	3. Homecoming Game

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Catra and Adora attend Bright Moon University’s homecoming game, but Catra has this gut-wrenching feeling that something bad is going to happen tonight. Turns out the visiting team is from the University of the Horde, the school that Catra was supposed to attend before getting accepted to BMU. She just hopes that she doesn’t run into anyone from her past, especially her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me, introducing new information three chapters in? Seems about right.
> 
> The school that they attend is Bright Moon University and their opposing school is University of the Horde. How original...I know. Sorry I couldn't come up with more creative names for their universities, but at least it's suiting.
> 
> Timeline: October

Catra’s POV

A few weeks have passed since Catra had fallen asleep on Adora while watching the Titanic during their last movie night. She remembers slowly being pulled out her slumber as Adora gently nudged her shoulder to wake her up. She scrunched her face as a sign of annoyance before barely opening her eyes to look around.

“…Huh? Where? What time is it?” Catra had said while half asleep.

“It’s like three…but I really need to get up…” Adora whispered to her.

“Why?”

“I desperately have to pee…I’ve been holding it for the past few hours.” Carta could feel Adora squirm underneath her when she said that.

“You could have just woken me up before you were about to pee yourself idiot.” She was awake enough now to poke fun at Adora and Catra laughed at her as she began to push herself up off of her.

“I know, but I didn’t want to.”

Catra wasn’t really sure how to respond to that, so she just scooted to sit on the end of the sofa while Adora slid her left leg from behind her back and practically ran to her bathroom. _Why didn’t Adora want to wake me? Was she actually enjoying this as much as I was? It was pretty nice…having her…so close…and everything…_

She shook those thoughts from her head as she lazily stood up, still hardly awake after all, and walked over to her bedroom before calling out to her roommate one last time.

“Goodnight Adora.”

“Night Catra.”

She shut her door behind her and collapsed onto her cold bed, instantly missing the warmth that she had with Adora on the couch. And when Adora had shyly asked her about her sudden affection during that night a few days later, Catra just blamed it on the beer. She knew that wasn’t a valid excuse and she suspected that Adora wasn’t buying that explanation either.

But at least they were starting to openly talk about things, right?

* * *

Back in the present, Catra was contently laying on her back in bed, scrolling through her phone, as sunlight flittered in through her closed window and bathed her in a warm glow. She had been forced to close her window in the middle of last night, since it had dropped down to the fifties.

_The first cool night of fall_. She had thought last night with a smile on her face. Fall was one of her favorite seasons. Even though she hated being cold, the weather during this time of year allowed her to wear as many layers as she wanted without being judged.

Catra was still scrolling through her phone in bed when she heard the sound of the front door open and close. She assumed that it was probably Adora getting home from her morning run that she went on occasionally, before eating breakfast and going to class. Adora had been overjoyed with the change of seasons too for this reason. She hated to run when it was hot outside and it was a lot easier on her body with cooler temperatures.

Catra’s suspicions were confirmed when the unmistakable sound of music and Adora singing resonated from somewhere in the apartment. _What the fuck?_ She thought. Normally Catra would have already been out of the apartment by this time in the day, but her morning class had been canceled the night before, and she forgot to tell Adora last night. To be honest, she was just expecting to enjoy a peaceful morning before dragging herself off to her afternoon classes.

What she wasn’t expecting was for her roommate to be full on wailing along to some song midmorning. Catra’s door was closed, per usual, but Adora’s singing was so loud she could still hear the muffled lyrics blast through her walls and door. _If I can her here like this, I wonder what our neighbors think._ The thought made her cringe slightly.

Catra sat up and swung her feet over the side of her bed before getting up. She adjusted her pjs and walked over to her bedroom door. She slowly cracked open the door enough to peek through the gap and what she saw, and heard, was something she will never forget.

Given the location of her room, Catra had a straight line of sight into the kitchen and living room from where she was currently creeping from her door. She saw Adora cooking what appeared to be eggs in the kitchen while dancing and singing along to some random song.

Adora was wearing a pair of active leggings and a sports bra, one of Catra’s favorite outfits for obvious reasons, while she swayed her hips and stirred her eggs simultaneously. There was a pause in the music, filled only by the sound of sizzling eggs, until the next song came on and it was unmistakably Lady Gaga’s Bad Romance. Catra continued to look on while Adora sang along to the chorus.

_I want your love and_

_I want your revenge_

_You and me could write a bad romance_

_Oh-oh-oh-oh-oooh!_

_I want your love and_

_All your lovers revenge_

_You and me could write a bad romance_

Catra could barely contain her laughter at this point. Not only was it hilarious that her best friend was seemingly having the time of her life right now, she was being insanely cute too. Usually Adora would be too self-conscious to do something like this in front of Catra, but she was probably completely unaware that Catra was even still home, which is why this was happening in the first place.

She slowly began slipping out of her bedroom when Adora’s back was turned away enough for her to remain undetected. As the song continued to play on, she positioned herself at the island and sat down on one of the barstools before speaking up.

“So, is this what you do when I’m not home?”

Catra must have scared the living shit out of Adora because she jumped, while letting out a scream, and dropped her spatula on the kitchen floor before turning around to see Catra.

“Catra!? What are you still doing home?!” She exclaimed.

“Enjoying the performance, I guess.” She could tell that Adora was embarrassed because her face suddenly flushed.

“You know what I mean.” Adora huffed as the song continued to blare.

“My morning class was canceled today. Anyway, don’t mind me. Keep going.”

“What?”

“Keep singing.” Catra blatantly said.

“Why?” Adora quirked an eyebrow.

“Because I want you to, duh.”

Adora gave her a suspicious look before continuing on with her singing. Which was definitely more reserved this time around. As for Catra, she wasn’t tone deaf and could sing pretty well, so she decided to join in during the last chorus of the song. They sang together in mismatched harmony.

_I want your love and_

_I want your revenge_

_You and me could write a bad romance_

_(Oh-oh-oh-oh-ooh!)_

_I want your love and_

_All your lovers revenge_

_You and me could write a bad romance_

Catra could tell that Adora was starting to warm up to this impromptu duet because her singing grew more confident and there was now a smile on her face. Catra was having a great time too, even if the connotations of this song were more real than she would likely admit out loud. So, Catra kept that to herself and just reciprocated Adora’s smile.

_Oh-oh-oh-oh-ooh! Want your bad romance_

_Caught in a bad romance_

_Want your bad romance_

_Oh-oh-oh-oh-ooh! Want your bad romance_

_Caught in a bad romance_

They were really starting to get into it now just as the song was beginning to wrap up. Adora started dancing again and Catra was trying to sing through a fit of giggles.

_Rah rah ah-ah-ah!_

_Ro mah ro-mah-mah_

_Gaga ooh-la-la!_

_Want your bad romance_

By the end of the song they were both hysterically laughing. Adora was doubled over and Catra had her face down in her arms on the island counter. When Catra finally lifted her head, she had to wipe tears from her eyes, and it looked like Adora was doing the same before removing her eggs from the pan.

“Wow, I don’t think we’ve laughed like that for a long time.” Adora said as she turned off the music and picked up a few pieces of toast from the toaster oven before walking over to the side of the island Catra was currently and sitting down next to her.

“Yeah, that was honestly amazing.” Catra said through half-laughs. She was still trying to calm down.

“Agreed. Even if it was slightly embarrassing at first…” Adora said.

Adora slid her plate of eggs and toast towards Catra as an offering to share if she wanted. Catra contemplated for a moment. The eggs and toast looked pretty appealing right now, especially after not having dinner last night. And even though Adora had made a lot, Catra knew that this was intended to be just for herself and she would probably eat something else after she left.

But she accepted the breakfast offering anyway.

“You have nothing to be embarrassed about Adora.” She said through a mouthful of toast and eggs. Catra could see that Adora was already trying to think of a way to change the topic based on the face she was making right now. Her brows were furrowed, and her mouth was quirked to one side.

“So…are you ready for the game tonight?” Adora asked.

This was definitely not a topic that Catra preferred to talk about over Adora’s embarrassment. Just the mention of tonight’s game made Catra’s stomach turn. She didn’t know why, but she had a bad feeling about tonight.

“Can’t say that I am.” She replied.

“Awww! Why not?”

“Um, maybe because it’s football? And football fucking sucks.” Catra said bluntly.

“It’s not that bad! Plus, it’s our last year here! Which is why I am forcing you to go.” Adora nudged Catra’s shoulder.

“Well aware Adora.”

“You’re gonna love it!”

“Doubt it.”

Catra finished her fill of eggs and toast before going back to her bedroom and changing before heading out for her afternoon classes. She stuffed some snacks and other essentials in her bag before leaving and waved goodbye to Adora as she stepped out the door.

* * *

When Catra got back home from her afternoon classes, she found Adora all decked out and ready to go waiting on the couch. There was still two more hours until the game, but Catra knew how impatient Adora could be if she was excited for something. She had changed out of the outfit she was wearing this morning to a pair of dark wash skinny jeans, a t-long-sleeved shirt and a BMU varsity jacket. _What a jock._ Catra thought.

“Catra!” Adora rushed over to greet her. “What took you so long!?” She grabbed her by the shoulders. “We’re gonna be late!”

“Woah, Woah, Adora!” She brushed Adora’s hands off her shoulders. “I know you’re excited about this, but we still have two hours left before the game.”

“We have to get there early Catra! It’s HOMECOMING! IT’S GONNA BE PACKED!” Adora grabbed onto her shoulders again and started shaking her back and forth.

“Okay! Fucking hell!” Catra wiggled out of her grasp again. “Just take it down a few notches, okay?”

Adora nodded her head and Catra went into her bedroom to change out of her school clothes that were always somehow covered in paint, graphite, fucking pastel chalk or any other type of art medium from class. She knew that it was probably going to be a little chilly tonight, so she decided to wear a pair of ripped jeans and a sweater with a tank top under it for layering.

She stepped back out of her room and when she looked back at Adora her eyes were scanning her body with a look of disappointment written across her face. _Why am I suddenly disappointing to look at? I’m actually kind of offended? I look great all day every day, no matter what!_ Catra defensively thought.

“What?” Catra snapped at Adora.

“Your outfit.” Adora gestured her hand up and down in Catra’s direction. “It’s not spirited enough.”

“Well, sorry.” Catra said sarcastically. “Not everyone has piles of school merch to choose from. Plus, the only school shirt I do have is short sleeved and it’s supposed to be cold again tonight.”

“Oh! Then you can borrow one of mine!” Adora said. She ran into her room and Catra could hear rustling noises as she dug through her closet to get something for her.

_Great._ Catra thought as she pinched the bridge of her nose.

She returned with a long-sleeved sweatshirt that had the school logo blasted on the back and a small emblem on the front left. It wasn’t as offensive as the other things she has seen Adora wear before, so she was actually grateful that she did in fact decide to tone it down a little.

“Here.” Adora handed her the shirt.

“Thanks…”

Catra set the down the sweatshirt on the couch armrest in order to use both hands to pull off the sweater she was currently wearing. When she removed it, she noticed Adora was staring at her. _Okay, weird._ She thought as she stared back at her. _But her look of disappoint has gone away. Which is good. I just can’t pinpoint whatever this look is right now. _

Still just standing there in her spaghetti strap undershirt, Catra was starting to get cold. So broke the away from the staring contest with Adora and slipped the school sweatshirt over her head. It pleasantly smelled like Adora, and it was considerably warmer than what she was previously wearing.

“How is it?” Adora questioned.

“Not that bad actually. Pretty toasty too.” Catra responded with a smile.

“Great! Now let’s go!”

Adora took Catra’s hand and practically dragged her out of the apartment when she was ready. They ran down the three flight of stairs in their apartment complex and quickly got into Adora’s car. The girls sped off and were on their way to the homecoming football game.

* * *

When they arrived at the stadium, Adora had a hard time finding a parking space, but they managed to find a spot after driving around and searching for one for twenty minutes. Then they were practically jogging to the stadium doors to check in, go to the bathroom and get stuff to eat with little time they had left. They had about thirty minutes left till kick off at seven and Catra realized that she hadn’t texted her friends that they were here. They were all supposed to coordinate so that they could sit with each other as a group.

So, while Adora was off doing something, Catra pulled out her phone while she waited and opened the group chat she had with Scorpia and Entrapta. She didn’t care enough to go through all fifty-seven unread messages that she knew where probably gifs and memes anyway.

_6:35, Catra: Hey guys, we just got here_

_6:35, Scorpia: Where have you guys been! There’s no way you’re going to be able to sit with us now! It’s packed!_

_6:36, Entrapta: Yeah! Even Glimmer and Bow are here with us!_

Entrapta had sent a picture of the four of them on the bleachers all decked out in school merch looking way too excited about this football game. It seemed like Catra was the only one that didn’t want to be here, but she admitted to herself that their spiritedness was kind of contagious and she wasn’t as annoyed as she had been earlier.

_6:38, Entrapta: They say hi btw_

_6:38, Catra: Tell them we say hi too and sorry that we can’t sit with you guys. It’s my fault that I made us so late anyway._

_6:39, Scorpia: No worries! We’re in the bottom row of bleachers on the left side of the field if you want to look for us when you find a spot!_

Catra put her phone away when Adora returned from god knows where and after buying some snacks and drinks from overly priced vendors, they walked over to an area in the bleachers that didn’t look too crowded.

They found a spot that was two thirds the way up the bleachers from the field. It wasn’t a horrible spot, they could still see all the action on the field, but they were kind of disappointed that they weren’t able to sit with their group of friends as originally planned.

When Catra sat down, to the left of Adora, she immediately wished she had worn thicker jeans. Even if it wasn’t that cold outside yet, the metal bleachers were freezing, and the cold sent a shiver up her spine. Thankfully her own body warmth heated the seat rapidly.

“Our friends say hi by the way.” Catra told Adora who smiled.

“Did they say where they were seated?” Adora questioned lightheartedly.

“They said they should be…” Catra raked her eyes over the opposing side of the field looking at the bottom rows. She spots them and points in their direction. “Ah hah! There! Can you see them?” She laughs. “God, they look so stupid!”

Catra whips out her phone again and zooms in as far as her phone camera will go and points it at their friends. She sends it in her group chat with Scorpia and Entrapta after captioning it with the simple insult, ‘nerds.’ Adora follows Catra’s line of sight while she’s doing this and finally spots their friends too.

“Awwww, they look so happy. They must be having a great time.” Adora said with a slight frown in her face that didn’t go unnoticed by Catra.

She nudged Adora’s shoulder. “Hey, who’s to say we can’t have a good time up here too?”

Adora’s smile returned just as the schools marching band was entering the field. Catra was happy that she was able to make Adora smile with ease, but just couldn’t shake the feeling that something bad was going to happen tonight.

They watched and listened to the marching band’s routine and everyone cheered when the school mascot came out. Catra had always thought it was the most ridiculous looking thing ever.

“I still can’t believe that our school mascot is a Pegasus.” She said.

“It’s actually an alicorn.” Adora corrected Catra who just glared back at her. “What…? There’s a difference…”

“Okay, horse girl.” Catra rolled her eyes.

They continued watching as the marching band finished up their routine and both football teams gathered on the field. On the right were the BMU players, but on the left…

Catra couldn’t believe her eyes

“Wait, is that?” She asked with wide eyes.

“Yeah, I thought you knew.” Adora responded, her voice sounded slightly concerned.

“Adora if I knew, I wouldn’t be here right now.” Catra squirmed in her seat.

“Relax, if anything happens, I’ll be here for you.” Adora’s voice was reassuring, which helped calm Catra down slightly.

The other team on the field tonight just happened to be from the University of the Horde. The college that Catra was supposed to be going to before she got the news that she was accepted into BMU. A much more prestigious university and the one that Adora so happened to be going to too.

A lot of their friends from high school ended up going to UH, and with the possibility of running into people she knew from her past…

Catra just hoped that **she** wouldn’t be here.

* * *

For the first and second quarter of the game, Catra was on alert. So far, she hadn’t seen anyone she knew from her old high school, expect for one or two players that were on the field, so that helped put her mind at ease a little bit. She was still very anxious though, and by the time the game entered halftime, Catra’s anxiety skyrocketed as she felt a familiar presence push against her left side.

“Hey, Catra.” A voice droned.

She looked over to confirm her suspicions and it was Lonnie…her ex-girlfriend. The girl she did not want to see tonight. Catra immediately tensed. She knew that there was a chance of their paths crossing tonight, given the circumstances, but she wasn’t expecting for Lonnie to seek her out on purpose.

The history between them was complicated. They had ended things on a bad note after dating for over a year during junior and senior year of high school. Lonnie, Catra and even Adora had known each other since childhood and it was when Catra got accepted into Bright Moon University, and moved in with Adora, that things got bad between them.

“What are you doing here?” Catra firmly asked her.

“Here for the game, obviously.” She scanned Catra’s body. “But now I might be here for something else too.”

Lonnie shifted closer to Catra, who tried moving away, but only ended up pushing further against Adora’s side. She must have finally realized that something was going on, because Adora took her eyes off the halftime show and looked over at Catra before noticing Lonnie next to her.

Catra could instantly see Adora’s mood change. Her face went from carefree to stoic in a second and her body went from being hunched over to sitting straight up which made her look bigger. Adora scanned her eyes up and down the length of Lonnie’s figure sizing her up before acknowledging her presence.

“Lonnie.” Adora said coldly.

“Adora.” She reciprocated.

Catra wouldn’t admit it to anyone, but Adora had played a big role in her and Lonnie’s breakup. When they were dating, she couldn’t fully dedicate herself to the relationship because she wasn’t the one that Catra wanted to be with. And even if Catra still didn’t fully understand (or want to admit) her feelings for Adora, she knew that Lonnie would never get where she was coming from.

Adora turned her focus back to the halftime show, trying to mind her own business, but she kept glancing at them every once in a while. Catra was grateful that she was keeping an eye on her. She honestly didn’t know how this conversation was going to go, so knowing that someone had your back was reassuring.

“So, are you going to tell me who you’re here with? Or are you going to bullshit your way out of that one too?” Catra questioned.

Lonnie smiled. “No need to be so cold Catra. We all know each other, right? Some more that others…” Lonnie looked over at Adora who kept her eyes on the field, but Catra felt her shifting next to her.

_Was that a dig at Adora? For what? About what? _Catra thought for a moment, before it hit her. _Ohhhh…that… _They had been in a relationship, so in some ways Lonnie did know Catra more that Adora did. Intimacy had been a part of any semi-healthy relationship that Catra had ever had. _But why does that bother Adora so much?_ She’d have to think more on that later.

“Get on with it Lonnie.” Catra said sternly with flushed cheeks.

“I’m here with Kyle. He’s somewhere over there.” She pointed in some general direction. “We’re here to watch Rogelio play against BMU, but when I saw you over here, I just couldn’t help myself…even if you’re here with her.”

Lonnie directed her gaze to Adora again who continued to disregard her, but Catra could tell by the way Adora’s fingers were digging into her jeans that she was starting to get irritated by Lonnie’s remarks.

She returned her gaze back to Catra and even if they hadn’t been together in a relationship for well over three years, she already knew what Lonnie wanted. There was lust in her eyes, but also something much more sinister behind them waiting to be unleased if she didn’t get what she wanted. And to be honest they did have their fair share of hookups during college, but Catra had put a stop to that almost a year ago now. However, it seemed that Lonnie wasn’t going to give up so easily.

“You know Catra, you look better every time I see you.” Lonnie said as she licked her lips.

“Have you lost your god damn mind? We ended this already!” Catra exclaimed.

“Come on baby, why you gotta be like that?”

Catra then suddenly felt a hand on her upper left thigh. She could feel Lonnie’s fingers brush against her skin through the torn areas in her jeans sliding closer to her center. Catra was incredibly uncomfortable right now and she needed to put a stop to this immediately.

“Fuck off Lonnie!” She shouted directly at her and pushed her hand off her thigh. “Or else!”

“Or else what? You gonna fight me or something? You know I like when you get feisty.”

“She said fuck off Lonnie.” Adora harshly said.

Catra and Lonnie both looked at her. It wasn’t often that Adora cussed, but she did, it was with purpose. And apparently Catra showing any display of not wanting Lonnie to be there was all the confirmation that Adora needed to start getting confrontational.

“Ohhhh…so it’s gonna be you. Huh? I should have expected that.” Lonnie’s tone in her voice had shifted dramatically once Adora joined their conversation. It had become threatening and that sinister look in her eyes had come to the forefront. It reminded Catra of all those bad moments in their relationship and truthfully, she was starting to get scared.

She shifted closer to Adora in order to try to get more distance between herself and Lonnie. She must have noticed this because the words that came from her mouth were as vile as her demeanor.

“You always did standup for her. Even if she’s a lying backstabbing bitch.” Lonnie’s words spilled from her mouth like venom before she spit at Catra’s feet.

Adora had seen enough. She stood up from her seat on the bleachers and looked down directly at Lonnie who quickly mimicked her actions. Adora held her clenched fists at her sides as they stood directly in front of each other. Even though Lonnie’s words had hurt, Catra gathered enough repose to put herself in between them.

She knew that Adora would do anything to protect her and it was obvious that Lonnie was purposefully trying to get Adora to fight. Catra looked Adora right in the eyes when she stood in front of her. There was a ferocity in them that she had only seen a couple of times before.

Adora would fight if she had to.

“Adora. You do **not** need to get in trouble during your last year of college.” Catra told her.

“Yeah blondie, wouldn’t want to taint your academic career for a whore, would you?” Lonnie said in a mocking tone.

That was the last straw for Adora. Catra eyes widened as she was gently pushed out of the way so that Adora could close the gap between Lonnie and herself again, this time with a fist. Adora had punched Lonnie in the face hard enough to send her stumbling back a few steps before Lonnie steadied herself and fought back with vengeance.

Catra scrambled further out of the way and found that she was no longer the only one witnessing the fight. They had gathered the attention of the people around them, who were also trying to get out of the way but also cheering them on. This was seemingly a much more interesting battle between the two universities in their eyes than the game was.

Lonnie landed a few good punches on Adora’s right side when her hands and arms were up blocking her upper half. Adora swung again but missed before kicking Lonnie squarely in the stomach. They both would be bruised up in the morning and Catra was honestly still kind of confused why they were fighting in the first place

There was nothing she could do to break up the fight, so she just looked on and thought. _Are two girls really fighting over me right now?_ Normally, Catra would be ecstatic, but given that the fight was between her ex-girlfriend and her best friend, she was still really confused.

_Why would Adora go this far just over some insults directed towards me?_ She continued to think as the fight raged on. Lonnie landed some swift kicks to Adora’s shins and Adora landed another punch to Lonnie’s face, this time causing her to fall back onto the bleachers.

Catra heard a comical ‘ooooooo’ coming from the crowd. That did look like it hurt. Catra looked at Adora again. Her chest was heaving, her jacket was torn, and her signature ponytail was disheveled. Adora kept her eyes locked on Lonnie as she was starting to get back up again, not willing to give up this fight until one of them was unconscious.

Catra then heard someone yell “police!” and the crowd quickly started dissipating.

Adora looked around frantically, but the university police had reached her before she could do anything. As for Lonnie, Catra saw her run down the bleachers and she lost track of her in the crowd. Catra was honestly kind of annoyed that Lonnie would run away like a coward after starting a fight over Catra not putting out for her. _So annoying! It’s not fair that Adora is going to be the only one to get in trouble. She didn’t even start this!_

When Catra turned her attention back to Adora, she saw her with her hands behind her back getting cuffed. She was still a few rows up on the bleachers from where they had been originally. So, she tried to step back down the metal seats as quickly as possible. From where she was currently, Adora couldn’t see where Catra had ran off to, she could her the panic in her voice when she called out for her.

“Catra!?”

“Adora!”

She could see Adora looking around for her when she heard Catra’s voice. When she finally spotted her, they locked eyes and Catra tried to quicken her descent down the bleachers to reach them. But before Catra could reach her, the officers started walking Adora towards the stadium exit.

Catra was practically running down the bleachers now as she finally managed to reach one of the officers in the back of the group. She wasn’t able to reach Adora, but hopefully she could get some answers from this guy.

“Where are you taking her? She asked.

“Back to the station on campus.” He responded and stopped to look directly at Catra. “Are you her girlfriend? A witness reported a few moments ago that this was a petty fight between an ex and a current relationship.”

_Is that what this was? _Catra thought. She couldn’t focus on that right now. She had a question to answer and she knew that only ‘family’ would be able to get into the station.

She needed to make sure Adora was okay.

“Uh…yes?” She answered.

“Okay, good. You can meet us there if you want.”

Catra followed the group of university officers to the front of the stadium. Then she watched as Adora was placed in the back of a police vehicle. They caught each other’s stares again and Adora mouthed ‘sorry’ through the car window before she turned her head and the police car sped off.

Catra felt guilty. All of this had happened because of her. Adora had fought someone over her. She got in trouble because of her. She was going to the university police station because of her.

Thoughts were racing through her head, but she needed to get to the police station.

_How am I even supposed to get there!_ Catra thought. Adora still had her car keys on her so she couldn’t take her car and the campus buses would be packed because the game was ending soon. She also knew that since Scorpia and Entrapta lived on campus, they wouldn’t have any form of transportation readily available.

She decided to call the only person she thought could help.

Catra’s phone rang three times before someone picked up, but there was no answer on the other end. She could only hear the shouts and cheers of the stadium crowd echoing in background.

“Glimmer?” Catra ask, she wasn’t sure if she could even hear her over the crowd.

“Catra? Yeah, it’s me. What’s up?” There was definitely confusion in Glimmer’s voice.

“Adora was arrested.” Catra sighed.

“WHAT?!” Glimmer shouted into the phone.

“Listen, I need your help…”

* * *

Glimmer alerted their friends about what was happening, and she was able to hijack one of the university golf carts that were seemingly everywhere on campus. Professors, staff and other essential personnel used them to get around campus quickly. Too bad the students never had access to them, but being the daughter of the university’s president did come with some perks.

* * *

A few minutes later, Catra sees Glimmer, Bow, Scorpia and Entrapta emerge from behind the stadium all piled into one of the university regulated golf carts. She was not expecting this, or the overwhelming amount of questions directed towards her when they pulled up.

“How did this happen!?” Glimmer was the first to speak.

“Is she hurt?” Bow asked with sincerity.

“Are you okay?” Scorpia asked Catra in a very concerned voice.

“Tell me all the details!” Entrapta nearly screamed. “Can we come with you?!”

“Okay, first of all, we are **not** all going to the station.” Catra sternly said. “They only allow family in anyway. And secondly, quit it with the questions. It’s really annoying and we don’t have time for this!”

“Family?” Bow questioned, clearly ignoring Catra’s plea.

Catra glared at him. She should have known someone would pick up on that slip up. “Yeah…I told the officer that I was her…girlfriend.”

Bow and Glimmer shared a look, as did Scorpia and Entrapta.

“Girlfriend?” Scorpia asked.

Catra did not have time for this.

“Can we just go please!” She demanded with flushed cheeks.

Taking the hint, Bow, Scorpia and Entrapta all exited the golf cart before Catra climbed into the passenger side next to Glimmer who was in the driver’s seat. They pulled away from their group of friends in a hurry and Catra figured that it would probably take about ten minutes to reach the station. She just hoped Glimmer would stay quiet.

“So…” Glimmer began.

_Guess Glimmer keeping quiet about this whole ordeal isn’t happening._ Catra huffed.

“Do you want to talk about it.” She continued.

“Not really.” Catra flatly replied.

“Catra, I need to know what happened, if you expect me to help.”

“I thought your mom was going to help, not you.” That sounded a lot harsher than Catra intended it to and she could tell that Glimmer was a little offended by how her gripped tightened on the steering wheel. She probably should try keeping Glimmer on her good side right now for Adora’s sake.

“What I meant is…I really appreciate you doing this for me…for us. I’m sorry.” Catra shyly stated.

Clearly Glimmer wasn’t expected Catra’s sudden change of tone, as she took her eyes off the road to look directly at her and Catra looked back. They then heard a car honking at them and they both snapped their eyes back to the road. Glimmer had drifted into oncoming traffic and was quickly trying to correct her steering.

“Holy shit!” Catra screamed as Glimmer swerved the golf cart.

“Sorry!” Glimmer said as she corrected the cart to be on the right side of the road again. “I just wasn’t expecting you to say something like that…to me.” She kept her eyes on the road but there was a smile on her face.

“It’s okay. Just please don’t kill us before we can get to Adora.” Catra was smiling now too.

They shared a laugh and a few minutes passed before Catra spoke up again.

“Adora stood up for me.” She said with melancholy in her voice.

“What?” Glimmer was taken aback by the sudden willingness for conversation.

“It’s why she got arrested.” Now that Catra had started explaining things, the following words flowed freely from her mouth. “My ex showed up looking for trouble and she just pushed and pushed until Adora couldn’t stand how she was treating me anymore.” Catra sighed. “I tried to stop Adora, but there was just this ferocity in her eyes. Like she wasn’t going to take any more shit from my ex. She threw the first punch, but…but…I just don’t know why she would go that far; you know?” Catra could feel tears forming in her eyes. “It’s all my fault…”

Glimmer fully understood why Adora would do that for Catra, but she had promised her that she would keep her secret. They pulled up to the university police station and Glimmer put the golf cart in park before turning to face Catra who was slightly slumped forward in her seat and wiping at her eyes. She reached out her hand and placed it on Catra’s back. It was weird that Glimmer was touching her, but in this moment, it was reassuring and comforting. Catra turned her head to look at Glimmer and they shared another smile before Glimmer spoke again.

“I’m sure she had a good reason.” Glimmer said. “Now, come on. Let’s go find her.”

They exited the golf cart and walked into the station.

* * *

The inside of the police station looked a lot different from what Catra thought it would look like. She just guessed that it would be like what she had seen on tv; bustling and full on life. But instead she was greeted by a barren dull waiting room littered with drunk and high college students slouched in chairs.

She scanned their faces, one by one, but Catra didn’t see Adora. She looked over to Glimmer to check if she saw anything, but she only shrugged her shoulders and raised her hands in a ‘I don’t know’ gesture. Catra glanced around again and saw that there was a middle-aged woman sitting at a desk in the back corner of the waiting room, who she presumed was a secretary. Catra walked up to the secretary who only looked her up and down instead of formally acknowledging her.

“Uh…hi.” Catra greeted her with a slight wave of her right hand. “I’m here for Adora Marlena Grayskull.” The woman just continued to look at her. It made Catra very nervous so some reason. She did not like cold natured people. “I was told to meet her here.”

“Name.” The woman finally spoke with a direct and monotone voice.

“Catra…I mean Catrina Cyra Diaz.” It was weird using her full legal name in public.

“And what’s your relation to this individual?” The woman continued as she typed away on her computer.

Catra thought before answering. Should she be lying in a police station? Probably not, but she needed to make sure Adora was okay! That was the only thing that mattered at this moment. So, she looked over her shoulder back at Glimmer just for encouragement and when she nodded Catra turned to face the secretary again and answered, “I’m her girlfriend.”

“Right this way.” The woman said.

Catra was directed to a set of double doors that led into an office area which was divided by walls of cubicles. They were short enough that she was just barely able to see the tops of people’s heads. So, she looked around again, not really sure what she should be doing, and that’s when she saw a blonde ponytail peeping over the edge of a cubicle wall.

Catra rushed towards the cubicle with a smile on her face and warmth in her chest. When she was finally able to look around the corner of the cubicle, her face fell when she saw a blonde-haired woman sitting at a desk in front of a computer. A woman that was definitely not Adora.

“Can I help you young lady?” The woman asked in a perplexed tone.

“Oh, sorry to bother you…ma’am. I’m looking for my fri…girlfriend… she was arrested earlier tonight, and the secretary only directed me to the doors.”

The woman laughed. “Oh, Linda? She can be kind of an ass sometimes, but I’m sure you already figured that one out. I’m resource officer Michelle, (she held out a hand) and you are?”

She took Michelle’s hand and shook it. “Catrina, but I go by Catra.”

“Alright, Catra.” She smiled as she stood up from her desk chair. “Follow me and I’ll take you to your friend.”

Catra was grateful that someone around here actually wanted to help her. She followed Michelle through a series of hallways and all Catra could think about was the sheer size of this facility. _Wow, this place is a lot bigger than I thought it would be…and very intimidating._ She thought.

Michelle had led Catra through two more sets of double doors until they reached the third one that opened up into another hallway that was lined with closed doors, windows with blinds, and chairs set against the walls every once in a while.

That’s when she saw her.

* * *

When Catra finally laid eyes on Adora, she was overwhelmed with joy but also very concerned about Adora’s appearance. She was sitting in one of the rows of chairs that lined a wall in front of an interrogation room. Her hands were still bound, but instead of being restrained with metal cuffs behind her back, they were in front of her, linked together with plastic zip tie cuffs. Adora was hunched forward with her elbows on her knees and her hair was down which covered the majority of her face.

Catra couldn’t keep Adora waiting any longer, she needed to get to her. So, she bolted from Michelle’s side and called out to her.

“Hey, you can’t just…” Michelle called after Catra, but she didn’t care.

“Adora!”

“Catra?”

Adora’s head snapped to look at where her voice was coming from. When she saw that it actually was Catra she stood up from her seat just in time for Catra to hug her. Adora’s cuffed hands dug into Catra’s stomach, but she didn’t care, she was just happy that she was okay.

“Back in your seat please!” Michelle called out to Adora as she stood and watched from the end of the hallway.

The girls separated and sat down in the chairs against the wall. Now that they were together again and Catra was able to get a better look at Adora, she looked pretty bad. There was a bruise starting to form around her left eye, her bottom lip was busted, her knuckles were bloodied and split and there were a few scratches on her arms. And that was just what Catra could see right now. She couldn’t even imagine the rest of the bruises that Adora would probably have in the morning.

Adora was the first to speak. “How did you get back here?” She grinned. “I was told that only immediate family could see me.”

“Yeah…if anyone asks…I told them I was your girlfriend. Oh, and I also told our friends and Glimmer told her mom…”

“You, WHAT!?”

Catra really wasn’t too sure what part of that sentence Adora was flabbergasted by. The fact that she lied about being her girlfriend or that she told Glimmer, who in turn told Angella.

“Shhhhhhh!” Michelle shushed from the end of the hallway.

“Sorry about her.” Catra responded and continued in a quieter voice. “What did you want me to do Adora? Did you really want me to call Randy and Lena?”

Adora tensed at the mention of her parents’ names. They had sent her to Bright Moon University for an education, not to get into fights over petty girl drama. That kind of behavior would not be tolerated in her household and she knew that they would give a much harder punishment than the university ever would. To be honest Adora would rather go to jail than face her parent’s wrath.

“No…” Adora replied as she breathed out.

“Yeah, I didn’t think so.” Catra replied.

They remained quiet for a few minutes. _Were you supposed to talk in what was basically the university’s holding cell for delinquents? If so, what about? _Catra thought. She had so many questions to ask Adora, but it was kind of hard to focus with Adora trying to flip her hair over her shoulders, to get it out of her face every five seconds. It was super annoying. But then Catra remembered that she had something that could fix this problem.

Catra stood up from her seat, and fished a hair tie out of her back pocket. It was a leftover habit from high school for Catra to always have a hair tie on her at all times. Whether it be for herself or Adora, it came in handy every once in a while, and now just happened to be one of those times.

She moved to stand in front of Adora who just looked up at her with confusion. Catra presented the hair tie and waited for permission to continue and moved forward when Adora nodded yes. She ran her fingers through Adora’s hair, and the texture somehow always managed to surprise her. It was so much softer and silkier than her own curly hair, but enjoyable, nonetheless. As she gathered Adora’s hair behind her head, she decided to make short conversation.

“Why’d they take it down anyway?” Catra asked.

“Some people hide drugs in their hair, I guess? They took it down when they searched me.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah, and they never gave me my hair tie back, so it’s just been like this.” Adora shrugged her shoulders.

Catra tied the elastic around Adora’s hair and pulled it tight against Adora’s scalp. She stood back and examined her work. She did a pretty good job, but now that Adora’s entire face was visible, her growing black eye was much more noticeable.

“You look like shit by the way.” Catra simply stated.

“Gee, is that the thanks I get for standing up for you?” Adora responded. She sounded annoyed.

“I didn’t ask you to do that Adora.” Catra was irritated now too. “You didn’t have to.”

“I know that, but I just couldn’t sit back, and watch Lonnie continue to berate you and treat you like shit in front of me!” Adora said while she shifted in her seat to look at Catra.

“And why is that Adora?” Catra said just barely above a whisper, refusing to look at her. She felt a hand on her right arm.

“Because you deserve so much better…” There was so much sincerity in her voice, that it made Catra’s chest hurt.

She was not expecting that answer and she honestly couldn’t think of how she should respond. Luckily, she didn’t have to because Angella and Glimmer came busting through the doors to the hallway that they were currently in. Effectively startling resource officer Michelle, Catra and Adora.

“President Angella? Well, this is an unexpected visit…to what do we owe this honor?” Michelle said in a confused tone, speeding up to walk in stride with Angella and Glimmer as they rushed down the hallway towards Catra and Adora.

“Let her go immediately.” Angella gestured to Adora when the group reached them. Clearly not having time for pleasantries.

“Who? Miss Grayskull? Unfortunately, we can’t just release students on command ma’am. She got in a pretty serious fight this evening and we have still yet to interrogate her.”

Catra could sense that Angella wasn’t going to accept this bullshit answer by the way her demeanor hardened as she turned her body to look directly at Michelle. Angella was inherently a very tall woman, so she towered over the resource officer with ease. It looked like Michelle shrunk into herself, like a child that was about to get scolded. “Tell me…” She looked at her badge. “Officer Michelle, was the other student involved in the fight arrested too?”

“No. She ran off before we could catch her…” She responded quietly.

“Uh, huh. And have the witness reports already been filed?” Angella kept her stern tone of voice.

“No, not yet.” Michelle said.

Angella sat down in the seat right of the girls and raised Adora’s head with her left hand. This forced Adora to look directly at Michelle as Angella continued to speak.

“You’ve seen this girls record, correct?” Angella asked and Michelle nodded. “So, you know that she has never been convicted of any crimes.”

“Yes.”

“And we wouldn’t want to ruin this girl’s academic standing over some petty fight, would we?” She let go of Adora’s face. “Or do I have to pull some strings with Micah? You know, the University Chief of Police. who just so happens to be my husband.”

_Is Angella seriously threating this woman right now? That’s kind of badass_. Catra thought.

“No ma’am…you don’t have to do that.” Michelle breathed out.

Angella stood from the chair before speaking again. “So, I’m going to say this one more time Michelle. Release her immediately.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Michelle walked over to Adora and cut her zip tie cuffs off her wrists with a multifunction pocket tool she got from her utility belt. She stepped back and looked over at Angella before speaking directly to Adora.

“You’re free to go Miss Grayskull.”

Adora was in disbelief. She rubbed her wrists where the cuffs hand been and looked at Catra to her left, then to Angella on her right, and finally at Michelle and Glimmer in front of her before speaking.

“That’s it?” Adora questioned. Obviously confused by the sudden turn of events.

“That’s it.” Michelle answered.

“Okay…” Adora said as she stood up from her seat and started walking down the hallway. Catra followed, as did Angella and Glimmer, but Michelle stayed in the hallway still looking like she’d been reprimanded by her parents.

* * *

When they were finally outside again, Angella stepped in front of Adora causing her to stop walking and took her by the shoulders.

“What in the world were you thinking Adora?!” Angella questioned her and Adora hung her head low. “Do you know how much trouble you could have gotten into if it wasn’t for me?”

Adora refused to answer her. Angella cupped the side of her face to get Adora to look at her. When Adora’s face was finally lifted there were tears falling from her eyes and Angella pulled her into a tight hug.

“Thank you.” Adora said, but her voice was muffled from being buried in Angella’s chest. Angella calmly stroked Adora’s back as sobs wracked her body. “I was so scared.”

“Shhhhh. It’s okay. You know how much I care about you, right?” Angella pulled away from Adora to wipe some tears from her face and smiled at her. “You’re like a second daughter to me.”

“And you’re like a second mom to me.” Adora responded with and even brighter smile than Angella’s.

“So, are you going to tell me what happened?” Angella said in a usually amused tone of voice.

“Yeah, I guess I should.” Adora responded.

As Adora began explaining the situation to Angella, Catra noticed that Glimmer had been standing next to her and observing the pair too this whole time. Catra nudged Glimmer’s left shoulder to get her attention.

“Is your mom always this cool?” Catra asked with a smirk on her face.

Before tonight, Catra was never actually able to meet the university’s president in person, so she really didn’t know what to expect. All she knew was that her and Adora somehow developed a very close bond over the past few years and that she would be able to help her tonight. That’s why she had asked Glimmer for her help after Adora got arrested.

“She’s pretty great right?” Glimmer said with a smirk of her own.

“Pretty badass is more like it.” Catra responded truthfully.

That made Glimmer laugh and Catra was actually happy that she made her laugh.

“Thank by the way. I don’t think I’ve said that yet.” Catra continued.

“Oh, you’re welcome.” Glimmer simply stated. “I just hope you can keep her out of trouble from now on.”

“No promises.” Catra joke, but then she saw Angella waving at them to them to come over, which they did.

“I think it’s about time we all head home.” Angella tiredly spoke.

“Agreed.” Catra said.

Angella got back into her car before saying goodbye to the group and kissing Glimmer on the cheek, who wiped at the spot with embarrassment. Then Glimmer, Catra and Adora all gather into the same golf cart that Glimmer had commandeered earlier and the drove back to the stadium to get Adora’s car. Catra drove herself and Adora back to the apartment in relative silence.

* * *

Catra had just locked the front door of their apartment and barely turned around when she was quickly engulfed in Adora’s embrace. She forgot how her arms worked for a second, but then she wrapped them around Adora’s waist to hug her back.

“Thanks, Catra. For everything.” Adora said.

“What are you thanking me for? You’re the one who beat my ex’s ass. I should be the one who’s thanking you…so thank you?”

“No, what I meant is thank you for being there for me. I was really…afraid…and it was kind of nerve wracking to be in that empty hallway for an hour.” Adora squeezed Catra tighter.

“I always knew that you wouldn’t be able to handle incarceration, princess.” Catra giggled. “Even if it was just the university’s version of imprisonment.” Catra pulled away from Adora’s embrace to look at her.

Adora was blushing and slightly embarrassed. “Psssstttt. What? I could totally handle myself in prison. I kicked Lonnie’s ass tonight, didn’t I?” Adora gave Catra that one eyebrow raised look she always does when she thinks she’s right.

“I’m not questioning your strength, wonder woman, I’m questioning your ability to handle being alone psychologically and physically. Even if you won’t admit it, you’re a very dependent person who always needs to be with someone and you can’t keep still to save your life. Put those two things together with you in a small space, I think you would literally go insane.”

Adora just squinted at Catra and her mouth drawn in a line. “What is this? Hate on Adora day?”

“It’s not hate, it’s the truth.” Catra shrugged her shoulders.

“Yeah, okay.” Adora crossed her arms across her chest and looked away from her. Catra could tell that Adora’s black eye was getting worse (_we should probably ice that_, she thought.) and the cuts on her arms and knuckles looked inflamed (_and patch that up too_).

Catra lightly stroked Adora’s arm to get her attention again. “Do you mind if I help you?”

“What?” She looked down to where Catra was touching her arm. “Oh, yeah…I don’t mind. Let me just take a shower first.”

Catra was glad that Adora didn’t question her wanting to assist her. Adora was well trained in first aid and other things relating to her degree and prior experience as a lifeguard.

Adora went to her room, showered and returned to the living room in her pjs to see Catra waiting on the couch. Now that Adora was wearing shorts, and a tank top, Catra could see the bruises on her shins and upper arms now. It looked painful and she knew that Adora was trying to play it off as best as she could. She sat down on the couch next to Catra.

“Here. Put this on your face.” Catra said and handed Adora an ice pack wrapped in a towel that she had grabbed from the freezer when she was in the shower. Adora leaned back against the couch to rest her head and to balance the icepack in place without having to hold it.

Catra then moved off the couch to kneel down in front of Adora to take care of her hands. She spread some antibiotic cream across her knuckles and could tell that it burned by the way Adora flexed her fingers. She then pulled out gauze and started wrapping her hands up like she was a boxer.

There was an odd silence in the air, but Catra could tell Adora had something on her mind by the way she was tapping her foot on the ground.

“So, girlfriend, huh?” Adora peeped down at Catra through her good eye and Catra stopped her wrapping.

_So that’s what she was thinking about? Ugh. That’s just like her too. I knew she wouldn’t let this go_. Catra mentally facepalmed herself.

“Fake girlfriend.” She responded as she continued to wrap Adora’s hands.

“Right.” Adora responded and Catra could see her large smile even from her kneeled position on the floor.

Catra stood up from the floor and turned her attention to Adora’s busted lip. She leaned closer and gently grabbed Adora’s chin to examine it. She could feel Adora’s breath blow softly against her fingers, but she ignored that and noticed that her lip was still oozing a little so got a cold compress to hold on the wound before applying cream to it. The whole time Adora just kept staring at Catra with her good eye and for some reason it was making her very flustered.

“What?” Catra asked in a small shaky voice after removing her fingers from Adora’s bottom lip.

“Thanks again.” She breathed out.

“I swear to god Adora if you thank me or apologize one more time tonight, I’ll kick your ass worse than Lonnie.” Catra joked.

That made Adora laugh hard, but she quickly tried to stop herself. Catra wondered why, but then she remembered the punches Lonnie landed on her ribs.

“It hurts, doesn’t it?” Catra asked and Adora nodded.

_Should I ask what I’m thinking right now? Probably not…but fuck it. _Catra thought.

“Can I see it?” Catra asked as she glanced down to Adora’s side which was currently covered by her shirt.

“Uh, yeah.” She responded hesitantly.

Adora lifted the left side of her shirt up to expose the majority of where Lonnie had landed her punches. When Catra saw it, she sucked in a sharp hiss through her teeth. It looked really bad. There were already dark bruises in multiple places on her side.

“Do you think they’re broken?” Catra questioned.

“No, I know what that feels like and it doesn’t feel like that. It’s just sore right now.” Adora answered.

Adora had indeed broken a few ribs when she was a teenager. It happened when they were around fourteen and Catra and her were doing a stupid ass stunt on their bicycles. Adora tried to land a jump off a makeshift ramp and failed miserably. She landed on her right side back then and ended up cracking two ribs.

She pulled her shirt back down and Catra was definitely not disappoint by the fact of not being able to see her friends side any longer. Nope, not at all.

“That’s a good thing then, but I think you might want to ice that too.” Catra replied.

Adora removed the ice pack from her face, “I will in the morning. I just want some rest right now.”

Catra moved out of the way as Adora stood from the couch. They both started to walk towards their individual bedrooms, but Catra had something on her mind since she had started wrapping Adora’s hands. She wanted, no needed, to do this before they went to bed for the night.

“Adora?”

“Hm?”

Catra turned away from her door and walked over to were Adora was. She picked up her right hand and kissed her wrapped knuckles. When she looked back up at Adora, her face was flushed and Catra could tell that her own cheeks were heated too. They held their gazes for a long and intense moment.

“So it heals faster.” Catra finally spoke.

Kissing an injury, was a leftover habit from childhood. They used to do it all the time when they were children, but they definitely weren’t children anymore.

She turned from Adora, not giving her time to respond, and practically ran into her room before she closed her door, collapsed on her bed, and happily screamed into her pillow. _Did I really just do that!_ Catra internally shouted.

Looks like Adora might get Catra’s bad romance after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Everyone’s parents are still alive! Isn’t that great? Lol Anyway I hoped you guys enjoyed this chapter, it’s one of my favorites.
> 
> Fun fact: If you didn’t already know, Adora’s parents in the 80s show were Randor and Marlena, that’s why I chose Randy and Lena for her parent’s name and her mom’s full name for her middle name. Also, for Catra’s legal name, Catrina is a cultural icon in Día de los Muertos and since her canon birthday is at the end of October, and her heritage is Mexican, I thought it was suiting.
> 
> Next Chapter: Catra gets a motorcycle as an early graduation gift and she takes Adora for a ride down memory lane.
> 
> Update: October 8, 2019
> 
> Follow me on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/simplyabsolute1) and/or [Tumblr](https://simplyabsolute.tumblr.com/) (I just made my Twitter account, so it's a little sad right now, but it'll get better lol)


	4. Motorcycle Ride

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It’s the week before finals and Adora has some serious studying to do! But apparently Catra has a different idea about how she wants to spend their free time together. After picking up a motorcycle from a distant relative, Catra wants to take Adora for a ride somewhere out in the countryside. Adora reluctantly agrees and she receives an unforgettable experience.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again! First off, I just really wanted to thank you guys for all of your support on this fic! Your comments are always so kind and your reactions always make me laugh. I also appreciate your kudos too! They give me motivation to continue this long story lol. I also wanted to thank WritingsoftheRainbow for giving me a shout out on their latest fic "Tensed Up." Go check them out! Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter!
> 
> Timeline: November
> 
> Visual References:  
[Catra's Jacket](https://www.pinterest.com/pin/237705686569780372/), [Adora's Jacket](https://www.pinterest.com/pin/237705686569780491/), [Catra's Motorcycle](https://www.pinterest.com/pin/476326098058364495/?nic=1) and [Other Bike](https://www.pinterest.com/pin/410460953529562768/)

Adora’s POV

The morning after the homecoming game, Adora could barely move. Her legs felt like she had the worst shin splits ever, her ribs ached, it hurt to breath, and when she tried to look around, she noticed that her left eye didn’t open. She groaned as she attempted to sit up in her bed, but she couldn’t, so she just leaned back and propped herself up against her headboard.

_How in the world am I going to go to class today?_ She thought.

Adora closed her eyes, enjoying the coolness of the headboard against her back, when she heard footsteps approaching from outside her room. _She must have heard me get up, weird that she’s up before me though. _There was a soft knock on her open door before she heard her roommate greet her.

“Morning.” Catra said in a soft tone.

Adora cracked open her right eye to look at Catra. She was standing in the doorway, holding a bowl of something, along with a couple of items that were tucked under her arm. Adora didn’t have enough clarity in her vision to accurately see what it was.

“Hey, morning.” Adora said through an exhale.

“How are you feeling?”

“Honestly?” Adora questioned and Catra nodded yes. “Worse.”

“Yeah, I figured. That’s why I brought you some breakfast and ice if you want it.”

_So that’s what she was holding. Pretty nice of her to bring me that stuff too._ Adora thought.

“Yeah, I’ll take it. Thanks.”

Catra approached Adora’s bed and sat down on the side of it. Adora was the type of person that always seemed to end up directly in the middle of their bed when they slept, so there was plenty of room for Catra to sit. She gave Adora the ice, which she placed on her ribs, and then Catra handed Adora the bowl she was holding. It was filled with oatmeal, sliced bananas, blueberries and it was drizzled with honey. One of Adora’s go to breakfasts in the morning, especially if she was short on time.

“Hope I made it right.” Catra said with a doubtful look as Adora took the bowl from her.

“I’m sure it’s great.” Adora reassured her with a grin too.

She took a spoonful of oatmeal from the bowl and tasted it. It was such a simple meal, but it was better than she could have ever made it by herself. _How does she always make things taste so good?! This is amazing!_ She thought. This led to Adora letting out a content sigh while chewing.

“Good?” Catra said through a giggle and smile.

“Mmhhmm!” Adora hummed.

“Good.” Catra laughed.

Adora quickly finished her breakfast and sat the empty bowl down next to her on the bed. She slowly began her attempt to peel the sheets off the bed on the opposite side from where Catra was sitting. But the pain was still too much and she wasn’t making much progress.

“What are you doing?” Catra questioned. “Actually, no. What are you trying to do?”

“Trying to get ready for class.” Adora said through gritted teeth as she continued to tug at the sheets.

“In that condition?” Catra looked amused.

“Yep.” Abandoning her war with the sheets, Adora was now trying to scoot closer to the edge of the bed, but she wasn’t gaining much ground that way either. She had only managed to barely twist her upper half, which caused her icepack to slip from its position on her ribs, and from Catra’s perspective she looked like a turtle that was stuck on their back.

“And who’s the stubborn one again?” Catra quipped with a giggle and Adora felt the bed shift.

Adora looked over her shoulder back at Catra who was starting to move towards her. She crawled up the length of the bed on her knees, and gently pushed against Adora’s left shoulder to get her to lay back down. Adora fell back down onto her bed without protest and looked up at Catra who had a curious expression on her face.

“You better keep your ass in bed for a couple days.” Catra said with a smile as she leaned over Adora. She raised her left hand and brushed Adora’s hair out of her face, before tucking it before her ear, in order to get a better look at her left eye. Adora’s breath hitched when she felt Catra’s fingers graze across her aching face as she was examining her injury. All Adora could think about in this oddly intimate moment was how beautiful and kindhearted Catra was.

_Wow. Has she always been this gorgeous and nice? _Adora thought._ Of course, she has! What am I even thinking? She’s so beautiful…_ But then she noticed Catra’s gaze shift from her left eye, to her lips, and then to her good eye, where she stared at her for what felt like an eternity. This caused Adora’s mind to race. _Did she just look at my lips? I saw that correctly, right? Oh, maybe it’s just my busted lip…But what if it wasn’t…She did kiss my knuckles last night and then ran off, but that was something we used to do as kids too when one of us got hurt. Why does she keep looking at me like that!_ Adora snapped out of her thoughts when Catra started to back up and spoke again.

“You better ice that eye too, in order to get some of the swelling down.” Catra continued as she moved away and got off the bed. “I’ll go get you some pain meds from my room, I’ll be right back.”

…

Things went on like this for a week while Adora stayed home and rested. Catra would bring Adora breakfast every morning before going to her classes, and she would even help change the bandages on Adora’s knuckles too. Thankfully, Adora didn’t face any repercussions for missing a week of class, because she arranged with her professors that she could complete her work online, which gave her time to rest and heal at home.

And if you’re wondering what ever ended up happening to Lonnie, it turns out that she did end up getting arrested too. Adora later heard through the grape vine that she never made it off the BMU campus and was hiding out behind some dumpsters near the stadium. A witness recognized her, and she was put on academic suspension at UH for a week. Adora doubted that she had anyone as good as Catra to take care of her while she was suspended.

Catra was with her and that was all that mattered.

* * *

Now, Adora was currently wrapped up in a cozy blanket on the couch reading a book in the peaceful quiet of her shared apartment. Her black eye was almost completely healed now. There was only some yellowing remaining under her left eye from the huge bruise that had been there two weeks ago. A bruise that captured the attention of all her classmates when she returned to classes last week. Walking into her first class on Monday was an experience. She was instantly bombarded with questions and people asking if such and such was true, or if this thing really happened, etc. It made Adora really uncomfortable, but she did her best to brush off all the extra attention.

Still on the couch, Adora tried to take her mind off of her classmates’ earlier behavior from this week, because she had better things to worry about. Catra had gone out earlier today on her own. It was one of the few times they didn’t travel together, so Adora had the apartment to herself. Catra had left in a hurry, but Adora managed to see what she was wearing before she left the apartment. She was dressed in ripped jeans as always, a long-sleeved shirt, a jacket, combat boots and she had her hair platted in two Dutch braids. Adora had no idea where Catra was going, but she did know that she looked really good in that outfit.

However, she was kind of disappointed in Catra for going somewhere today, instead of being here with her. It was nearing the end of November and finals were right around the corner. The only reason the girls had any free time right now was due to the dedicated reading days the university had built into the semester to give students time to catch up on assignments and to study. They were some of the only days that students actually looked forward to each semester, and Catra had apparently decided to spend her free time elsewhere instead of studying.

But, being the good student she was, Adora was not going to let any of this time go to waste! She wanted to ace all of her final exams, which is why she was currently looking over her anatomy book with hyper focus. For her anatomy final exam, she would have to know everything and anything about tendons, ligaments and muscles around the body pertaining to common sports injuries.

Adora had firsthand experience with sports injuries, and just how bad they could be. It was part of the reason she decided to study sports medicine in the first place. She had sustained a significant knee injury junior year of high school while she was playing lacrosse. It was so bad in fact, that it ruined her chances of getting into college on a sports scholarship. Luckily, her GPA was good enough that she still got a pretty decent scholarship at BMU, even if it wasn’t a full ride like she had hoped.

Unfortunately, she was still not very prepared for this test right now. Adora could not remember the names of these various bodily components for the life of her. Or, if she did remember the name, she usually thought it was located in some other part of the body. She looked down at her study guide, which listed various tendon, ligaments and muscles in the body and instructed her to match where they located and to name the bones that they were connected to. Labeling large joints like knees, elbows and shoulders came easily to her. It was the anatomy of the hands and feet that threw Adora off.

She turned her focus back to the study guide and pondered.

_The anterior cruciate ligament is in the knee, which connects the femur and tibia, I know that. _She jotted down her answer on the study guide. _But the peroneus brevis tendon…is in the hand? _She looked at her book for reference. _Foot. Crap. Okay, foot…and it’s connected to the…fifth metatarsal? _She was right. _And it’s also part of the…soleus muscle? _She checks the anatomy book again. Not right. _It has the same name as the tendon?! What kind of nonsense is that?! Ugh! Why can’t I get this!?_

She was seriously contemplating throwing her book across the room, before she was distracted by a loud rumbling coming from outside. Something suddenly clicked in her head. She knew what it probably was, she just didn’t think today was the day, but it would explain why Catra had gone out earlier by herself. And why she looked so giddy when she rushed out the door.

See, the thing is, one of Catra’s uncles, who Adora still didn’t think was actually related to her, had decided that gifting a newly crowned twenty-two-year-old a motorcycle would be a great idea. He had told her over the phone that it was a birthday/early graduation gift and that she could pick it up whenever she had the time. And Catra decidedly had the time today…when they were, once again, supposed to be studying.

Just as Adora was about to get up from her seat and look out the window to confirm her suspicions, the front door flew open and Catra stepped in looking way too good in that leather jacket, for one, but also probably the happiest Adora had seen her in the past few weeks.

“Adora!” Catra screamed as she walked through the door.

“Yeah?” She answered from the couch.

“I got the bike!”

“I can tell.” Adora responded through a giggle. Catra’s excitement was contagious.

“IT’S AMAZING!!! WE HAVE TO GO!!!” Catra exclaimed.

“We?” Adora asked in a confused tone.

“YEAH! I want to take you somewhere on it.”

“Nonononono. First of all, that’s incredibly dangerous and second, I have to study for finals. Check that, **we** should be studying for finals.” Adora said. There was no way she was ending up on that motorcycle.

“Come on! Don’t be such a Debbie Downer! We can always study later. Plus, a ride does a lot to clear your head, you know?” Catra talked like she was speaking simple facts.

“I wouldn’t know.” Adora turned her attention back to her anatomy book and she hoped that Catra would just drop it, but deep down she knew that probably wouldn’t happen. And it turns out Adora would be correct about that presumption. Catra made her way to the right armrest of the couch where Adora was, leaned over her, plucked the book from her hands and tossed it on the coffee table.

“Hey!” Adora said as she looked up at Catra.

“Come on Adora!” Catra gripped Adora’s shoulders from behind and her hold was surprisingly firm.

“Catra, I just told you no.” Adora said sternly.

“I’m not taking no as an answer! You have to give me a valid reason if you don’t want to go.” Catra sounded like she was trying to challenge Adora somehow as she continued to look down at her with those mismatched eyes.

Catra removed her grip from Adora’s shoulders and moved to the front of the couch so she could get a better angle to look down at Adora with that intense gaze of hers as she placed her hands on her hips. Adora tried to think of a valid answer, but all she could focus on was how good she looked in that outfit. _Maybe it wouldn’t be that bad…_ Adora thought. _No! It’s really dangerous_.

“So?” Catra asked. Her voice growing more confident by the second.

Adora had to think of something, anything! “Uh…you don’t have two helmets?”

“I do.” Catra assured.

_Crap. Uh…think Adora, think!_ “Okay…I don’t have any safety gear?”

“You can burrow one of my jackets.” Catra crossed her arms and smirked.

_Oh, she’s good._ But, Adora couldn’t think of anything else. “I…uh…”

“Admit, it Adora you don’t have a valid excuse. So, come on!”

Adora contemplated for a few more seconds as Catra’s stare intensified tenfold, and she leaned in closer. Adora could definitely feel the weight of peer pressure starting to crumble the walls of her resistance. _What’s the worst that could happen? Maybe she’s had this whole thing planned out for a while and I wouldn’t want to upset her._

Adora sighed and gave in. “Okay, fine.”

“Really? Wow, I wasn’t expecting you to say yes.” Catra responded through a laugh.

“What?! Then why did you keep hounding me about it?” Adora semi-shouted at her with a high-pitched voice. _How could she do this! And she thinks it’s funny?!_ She audibly huffed.

“Because it’s fun to tease you.” Catra said and continued to laugh.

“Ugh! You’re the worst.” Adora sarcastically said.

“You know you love it.” She said with a smirk.

_More than you know._ Adora thought before responding. “Whatever. Just let me go get ready.”

“Take your time princess. I’ll be waiting.” Catra winked at her and sat down on one of the barstools in the kitchen and pulled out her phone.

_Who does she think she is!_ Adora mentally asked herself as she got up from the couch and walked into her room. _It’s like she knew I would eventually say yes, because I would do anything for her…wait… DOES SHE KNOW?!?! HOLY SHIT!!! HOLY SHIT!!! HOLY SHIT!!!_

In Adora’s mind the only valid reason for Catra’s recent affection and teasing was because someone spilled the beans about her “secret” crush on her. Two people in particular popped into her mind. Adora shut her bedroom door and grabbed her phone as quickly as possible. She group dialed Glimmer and Bow as fast as she could.

“Hi Ado…” Bow answered first.

“WHAT DID YOU GUYS DO?!” She quietly screamed into the phone. Keeping her voice low enough that Catra wouldn’t be able to hear her through the door.

“Woah! What are you talking about!” Glimmer responded in a panic.

“Catra is acting…different around me…DID YOU GUYS TELL HER?”

“No! Of course not! I would never break our oath!” Bow said, he’s voice cracking a little. “Glimmer…?”

“Well…” Glimmer droned.

That reply did **not** do anything to calm Adora’s nerves. “WELL WHAT, GLIMMER?!”

“I may have hinted at something during the homecoming incident…” Glimmer responded guiltily.

“HINTED AT WHAT?!” She was really panicking now.

“Adora…tone it down a little bit. Just take a breath for me okay?” Bow interjected.

Adora followed Bow’s advice. She pulled the phone away from her ear and took a few deep breaths. It did help calm her down a little. She was glad Bow was in her life, he always kept her grounded. She put the phone back to her ear.

“Okay, I’m good. Just tell me what happened Glimmer. Please…”

There was a long pause on the phone before Glimmer reluctantly spoke up. “So, when I was driving Catra to the police station on campus after you got arrested, she was really upset and concerned. She was explaining to me what had happened, and she was confused why you would go that far for her…and well, we know why, but I couldn’t tell her…and she started crying…and…and… I just told her you had a pretty good reason, that’s all.”

Not only was Adora thrown off that Catra had confided in Glimmer, but that she had been so concerned about her well-being that she cried over her. _I would have never guessed that Catra and Glimmer would get along like that. They put their differences aside for me. And…Catra cried over me…_ Adora started to tear up a little.

“Oh.” Was all that Adora could say at the moment.

“Yeah, let’s just say she really cares about you too Adora. Don’t worry about these small changes. Just let things happen naturally.” Bow interjected again. Always the voice of reason.

_Just let things happen? Are things happening? Could **this **really be happening?_ Adora’s mind was racing again. _Maybe Catra does want the same thing I want. It would explain why she was acting so differently lately…_

“I agree with Bow, Adora. You just need to learn how to relax and not worry about every single thing.” Glimmer said.

“Thanks guys. I appreciate it.” Adora said before she heard Catra call out to her.

“Adora! What’s taking so long?!” Luckily, she didn’t sound irritated, just curious.

But Adora decided not to answer and returned to her phone call. “Look, I gotta go guys. She’s actually waiting for me right now.”

“No problem! Bye Adora! Have fun! And remember, just let things happen.” Glimmer responded.

“We’re always here for you if you need us! We love you! Bye!” Bow sounded off.

Adora hung up and she had a renewed sense of confidence. The unplanned pep talk with her friends really set her mind at ease. Now all she had to worry about was not dying during this motorcycle ride. Adora removed her lounging clothes and tossed on a long-sleeved sweatshirt and a thick pair of skinny jeans. She pulled on some long tube socks to go over her jeans too before slipping on a pair of knee-high boots.

She opened her bedroom door again, walked back out into the living room area and saw that Catra was still sitting on the kitchen barstool. She was scrolling through her phone but stopped when she noticed that Adora had returned.

Catra looked up and smiled before saying, “You really did take your time, didn’t you?”

Adora rubbed the back of her neck. “Yeah, sorry about that…I was…just trying to find the perfect sweatshirt?” There was an obvious inflection in Adora’s voice. She was a bad liar and Adora could tell that Catra knew she was hiding something by the way she squinted her eyes.

“Alright…” Catra stood up from the barstool and made her way over to the coat rack. She pulled out a red leather jacket and handed it to Adora. “Here, you can burrow this one.”

Adora took the jacket from Catra and tried it on. It fit pretty well, though it was a little tight on her arms. Catra approached Adora again and straightened out the lapels on her jacket, before smoothing down the front. _She is being awfully touching today…maybe Glimmer and Bow are on to something._ Adora thought.

“See, it looks nice!” Catra said while still in Adora’s personal space.

“Yeah, I guess it’s not that bad…” Adora said as she flexed her arms a little, still not used to the snug feeling. She did, however, notice Catra look at her arms when she did that. _Interesting_.

Catra moved away from her to pick up a backpack near the door, slung it over her shoulder, and she grabbed Adora’s hand to guide her out the door. The handholding was unexpected. Usually they only held hands when one of them was scared or needed reassurance. But, right now? It seemed like Catra just wanted to hold her hand. The realization made Adora blush slightly.

They were walking down the three flights of stairs in their apartment complex. Catra was leading and Adora was following behind. From this angle there wasn’t much to look at so all Adora could focus on was the backpack Catra was carrying._ I wonder what’s in the backpack… Hopefully water and snacks if we’re going to be out for a while._ Curiosity got the best of her and she spoke up.

“What’s the backpack for?” She asked.

“You’ll see later.” Catra responded. _That’s definitely not reassuring…_ Adora thought.

They exited the stairwell, and there it was. Catra’s bike was parked right next to Adora’s car. She couldn’t help but think how their modes of transportation fit their personalities perfectly. Adora’s car was safe, reliable and sturdy, while Catra’s motorcycle was wild, dangerous and unpredictable. So drastically different from one another, but they paired beautifully at the same time. What could she say? Opposites attract.

Catra let go of Adora’s hand in order to present her motorcycle in the most comical way possible. She walked up to it, shifted her weight to her left knee and held out her hands in its direction. Her stance mimicked that meme of Will Smith presenting his wife perfectly. The scene made Adora laugh.

“Tada!” She said with a smile. “What do you think?”

“Not as bad as I thought it would be honestly.” Adora was glad that this motorcycle was a cruiser and not a sports bike. She knew a lot about motorcycles from Catra talking about them, and showing her pictures in the past, and cruisers seemed to be a little safer.

Adora walked over to where Catra was standing and picked up one of the helmets. _I can’t believe I’m doing this…_ She shifted her ponytail further down the back of her head before she put the helmet on, and Catra put her own helmet on over her braids. She looked back over to Adora, who was waiting for Catra’s instructions, and pulled the backpack off her shoulder.

“You’ll probably have to wear the backpack for the ride, if you don’t mind.”

“Yeah, no problem.” Adora agreed as she put the backpack on and pulled the shoulder straps tight, so it fit snug to her body.

As Adora was adjusting the backpack, Catra climbed onto the bike and started it. It thundered to life and it was a lot louder now, than it had been from inside the apartment. Adora turned to face Catra on the bike and holy hell, Catra looked fucking hot on that bike. The way she straddled it was everything. Catra looked like she had complete control of it just sitting there, and confidence was radiating from her. Adora bit her bottom lip. _Wait…why am I acting like this? Do I have a thing for bad girls?_ The realization mentally slapped Adora in the face and she blushed even harder. It really was a good thing that Catra couldn’t see Adora’s face right now.

Adora tried to calm herself down before she walked over to the side of the bike, lifted her right leg up and over it, and sat down behind Catra, making sure not to touch her in anyway. She was way too flustered right now to get any closer to Catra, who must have sensed something because she looked over her left shoulder to look at Adora before speaking.

“Okay, I know you’ve never ridden a motorcycle before, but you need to get a little closer.” Catra said through a smile.

Catra reached her left hand back and pushed against the side of Adora’s thigh with a light grasp to prompt her to scoot up on the seat. Adora was now flush against Catra’s back and this position was not helping with her excited condition at all.

“Good. Now, put your hands around my waist.” She continued.

And with shaky hands, Adora snaked her hands around Catra’s waist and gripped with a gentle hold.

“You’re gonna want to hold on tighter than that princess.” Catra laughed and Adora squeezed tighter. The last thing she needed was to fall off this bike today.

“Is this good?” Adora asked.

“Much better. Ready?”

“Yep.” Adora needed literally any distraction to take her mind off of her closeness to Catra right now. She was praying that this ride would clear her head like Catra had promised.

“Alright, let’s go!”

Catra throttled the bike a few times before she knocked the bike’s kickstand back with her heel and they were on their way. To where? Adora still didn’t know.

* * *

They were about twenty minutes into the bike ride and Adora was really enjoying it. She had relaxed quite a bit, so now she wasn’t just focusing on her extreme closeness to Catra, but the sights that she saw around her too. The further they drove, the more it seemed like Catra was taking them to a rural part of town. The buildings became sparse and there was less traffic and fewer intersections out here.

Adora took a deep breath and snuggled into Catra’s back. She didn’t know it, but Catra had a large smile on her face, enjoying every moment of this ride too. They were both blushing, but thankfully, the crisp autumn air helped to cool down their heated face throughout the ride.

As Adora continued to look around, she noticed that the colorful autumn leaves were almost all fallen now. The bleakness of winter was fast approaching them, but on the bright side, the holidays were fast approaching too, and they would be able to see their families again soon. The thought of being surrounded by loved ones and enjoying each other’s company warmed her chest.

Adora was pulled from her daydream as they approached one of few intersections in this part of town and came to a stop at a red light. If Adora had to guess, they were on some sort of main street, because it was lined with small local shops and old worn-down houses. Things started to look oddly familiar, but Adora just couldn’t tell where she remembered this place from.

Catra turned to look at her. “How are you holding up?”

“It’s actually kind of enjoyable.” Adora said and smiled at her.

She smiled back. “I thought you would say that.”

That’s when they were interrupted with the roar of another motorcycle approaching. Adora looked over, but Catra kept her gaze forward. The other bike pulled up next to them and Adora was able to see who the rider was. It was a guy, about their age, and he was wearing a hoodie, jeans and boots, but no helmet._ Where did this guy even come from? Before this town, the road has been empty for the past few miles_. Adora thought.

“Hey!” He called out. But he wasn’t looking at Adora, instead he was focused on Catra. “It’s not often you see two girls on a bike out here.” Catra still didn’t look at him as he raked his eyes across their bodies. “Especially too hot girls.”

_Ew, gross. Who does this guy think he is? Trying to score too girls at one time? What a jerk._ Adora thought as she scrunched up her face in disgust.

“Oh, so you’re going for the silent treatment?” He continued, still looking at Catra. “You know…I was just going to offer you a race, but it looks like you probably wouldn’t go for that anyway.”

That finally got Catra’s attention. She looked over at him and smirked as she revved her engine. _Of course, she would do that_. Adora knew that Catra would never turn away from a challenge. _Also, this is like the world’s longest red light, right?_

“Bring it on.” She said. “Bet your shitty ass crotch rocket can’t go above sixty anyway.”

“Catra…” Adora said wearily. “I don’t think we should…”

The guy laughed. “You know…I was just going to go easy on a lady like yourself, but now that you’re insulting me…”

“Good thing I ain’t no lady.” Catra interjected before he could finish his sentence and turned her gaze back to the road. Adora saw the guy huff before he looked forward too. She tightened her grip on Catra’s waist and hoped for the best.

The light turned green and the race was on.

* * *

Catra and Adora were speeding down the road and the mystery man was still right next to them. Adora could tell that they were definitely still accelerating, and their speed was getting kind of scary. She peeped over Catra’s shoulder to look at the speedometer and it was quickly approaching seventy miles per hour.

_Oh god…Is she trying to kill us?! _Adora could only think of the worst possible outcomes. She was a constant worrier after all. _This is how I go. Death by stupidity on the back of a motorcycle. All over a competition._ She tightened her grip on Catra’s waist and that’s when she felt a reassuring hand stroke a thumb across her knuckles. The feeling was comforting until she realized that Catra was now going seventy mile per hour one handed.

“Hey! Keep both of your hands on the handles!” Adora shouted and she felt Catra laugh as she removed her hand and refocused on her driving.

Catra and this mystery man were neck and neck for the next few minutes. Adora had no idea how Catra was going to when this race, if that was even possible. She thought, _how do you determine a winner of a race that has no finish line? It doesn’t look like Catra is going to be able to shake this guy either._

As the race continued, Adora noticed that the two bikes were fast approaching a sharp bend in the road. There was no way that they would be able to make this turn without slowing down, but it seemed like Catra had another idea.

“Adora on the count of three I need you to lean with me.” Catra shouted loud enough so Adora could hear her.

“What?!” Adora exclaimed.

“Just trust me…one…” Catra responded calmly.

“Catra! I don’t know how…” Adora’s tone was panicked.

“Two…follow my lead!”

“CATRA!!!” Adora screamed.

“THREE! LEAN!”

And Adora had no choice but to follow Catra’s lead. As she turned left, Catra braked a little and started to lean into the turn and Adora mimicked her actions. The lean caused the motorcycle to turn sharply and the bike started to drift on the road. Adora swore that they were just a couple inches off the ground and close to wiping out before Catra regained control over the motorcycle.

Adora looked back, and the mystery man didn’t have too much luck with that turn. His bike had skidded off the road and his tires were halfway buried in the mud. Luckily, he looked fine as he was standing next to his bike shaking his fist in the air like an old man telling kids to get off his yard.

“HAHA!!! THAT WAS AMAZING!!!” Catra exclaimed.

“What are you crazy, or something?!” Adora removed her right hand from Catra’s waist to whack her on the back of her helmet. “You could have gotten us killed!”

This just caused Catra to laugh. “But did you die? No. And you can’t tell me that didn’t give you an adrenaline rush.”

Oh, this ride did give her an adrenaline rush for all the wrong reasons. It was more of a fight or flight adrenaline rush as opposed to the ones you get on a roller coaster ride. And to be honest, Adora didn’t know if her heart could handle any more surprises.

“I am literally never coming on another ride with you again.” Adora huffed.

“Well then how do you expect to get home princess?” Catra joked.

Adora hadn’t thought of that. “I don’t know…Uber…Lyft?”

“And you think they’re really going to come out here in the middle of nowhere to pick you up?” Catra said through a chuckle.

_I mean, probably not…_ She thought. “You never know.”

“Yeah, let me know how that works out for you, okay?”

“Whatever Catra. Just shut up and keep driving.” Adora said with annoyance and Catra just kept laughing at her.

* * *

Now that they have been driving for an additional twenty minutes or so minutes, Adora noticed that they were somewhere in the mountains. They had to have been driving in total for at least an hour to get here. Just as Adora was starting to take in the sights around them, Catra turned off the main street and onto a side road that was lined with bare trees, with their fallen brown leaves blanketing the ground. Adora enjoyed how the bike stirred the fallen leaves as they blew around behind them following in the motorcycle’s path.

As they drove further into the woods, the road became curvier, as it shadowed every natural bend of the mountain. That feeling of familiarity hit Adora again. She couldn’t help but feel like she recognized this place somehow, but she still couldn’t quite remember where she knew this place from.

The girls pulled up to a mostly abandoned parking lot, before they dismounted the motorcycle. Adora was grateful to have her footing on solid ground again, especially after that race. She removed her helmet and set it down on the bike seat, before stretching and adjusting her ponytail to be in its proper position high on her head as she looked over at Catra.

“So, do you recognize where you are yet?” Catra asked as she took off her helmet.

Adora looked around for any clues. There were a few different trails breaking off from the far side of the parking lot, where they had entered from, but no other indicators that she could find. She turned her attention to the main trail of the parking lot and that’s when she spotted a sign that read: _Welcome to:_ _Whispering Woods State Park_.

She instantly knew where she was now. _Oh my god! No wonder I didn’t recognize this place! It looks so different!_ Catra and Adora used to come here all the time as kids. Their parents would try to arrange a joint trip out here every summer when they were younger. They looked forward to it every year, but with time, the tradition slowly started to fade as they grew older. Adora tries to recall the last time they were out here. _Hmmm…I think we were still in middle school? Geez that would mean we haven’t been here for like ten plus years. Wow._

Adora was overcome with emotion, this place brought back so many good memories. Memories that she hadn’t thought about in years. She was starting to tear up, and Catra must have noticed because she stood next to Adora and placed a comforting hand on her right shoulder.

“I’ll take your reaction as a yes.” Catra looked over at her and smiled.

Adora wiped unshed tears from her eyes before responding. “Catra, how did you even find this place?”

“By chance actually. My uncle lives out here, so when I went to pick up the bike today, I thought the trail looked familiar and it felt like the forest was calling to me. Weird I know, but I followed the path and found it. Honestly I was kind of surprised that it has been this close to us this whole time.”

“I wouldn’t exactly call and hour away close, but…” Adora said with a giggle.

“You know what I mean.” Catra said as she removed her hand from Adora’s shoulder. “It’s definitely closer than the five hours we had to drive to get here as kids.”

“True.” She agreed.

Adora continued to take in the sights and reminisce about what they would do here as kids. She remembers being so full of energy and excitement during the car rides here, and how they used to piss of their parents with the constant ‘are we there yet’ questions. She recalls practically leaping out of the car when they got here and Catra and her would race to the…A large smile stretched across her face.

She looked back over at Catra. “I wonder if the old playground is still here?” Adora stated through her smile.

“I wonder if I can still beat your ass in a race to it.” Catra said with a smirk as she met Adora eyes.

Adora held her gaze for a second before bolting from Catra’s side. She wasn’t going to give Catra the opportunity for a head start this time. Not like when they were kids.

“Oh, look who’s being a cheater! Just like she used to!” Catra called from behind as she started to sprint too.

“It’s not cheating!” Adora huffed as she reached the incline to a hill that used to lead to the playground.

Catra was quickly gaining ground on her and soon they were side by side. “Looks like your still too slow.” Catra quipped and stuck out her tongue before picking up her pace even more.

_How is she so fast! She literally never exercises._ Adora thought. But now that Catra was in front of her the view was certainly better. So, she really couldn’t complain.

The race only lasted two minutes, but Catra reached the playground first. She was doubled over with her hands on her knees taking in deep breaths when Adora finally reached her. Adora linked her fingers together and placed her hands against the back of her hand to take in some deep breaths of her own.

“Haha!” Catra said through her breathing. “Looks like…I won…two races…today! No one…can beat my speed!” She stood straight and raised both of her fists into the air.

God, Adora would have to give Catra an ego check for sure when they got back home.

“Yeah, yeah okay.” And after that race Adora realized how thirsty she was. “Hey, is there any water in this bag?” She said as she took off the backpack.

“Yeah, I packed two bottles in there.” Catra responded.

Adora unzipped the bag and noticed that Catra had packed some art supplies before pulling out the two water bottles. She handed one to Catra and then opened the other one and took a long drink from it before questioning her.

“What’s the art stuff for?” She asked quizzically.

“Oh, I figured this might be a good opportunity to practice some landscape drawing. It’s pretty scenic out here after all.” Catra said shyly. Adora knew she didn’t like showing off her artwork, which confused her because she was really good.

“That it is.” Adora agreed.

“Plus, for one of my finals I have to turn in a nature drawing.” Catra faked gasped. “Look Adora! I looks like I will be ‘studying’ after all.” She grinned at her.

Adora shoved Catra’s shoulder and that made her laugh. “More like, you just remembered that, and it just so happens to be a coincidence that you’re out here in nature and you have art supplies with you.”

Catra gasped again. “Adora…what do you take me for? A liar?” She playfully stroked her chin before pointing at Adora. “Oh, no. That would be you.”

“What?” Adora asked in a genuinely shocked tone.

“You were lying about why you took so long getting ready in your room earlier.”

“What? Phhsstt. No, I wasn’t”

“Adora, you’re a horrible liar and you know that.” Catra said and Adora just looked at her before she continued. “I heard you talking to someone in your room even though you were trying to be quiet. I’m assuming that it was probably Glimmer or Bow, maybe both, because you always talk to them when you panic. I just haven’t figured out what you were panicking over yet.”

Adora was in disbelief. She knew she was a bad liar, but she didn’t know that Catra could read her like a book like that. She didn’t know how to respond.

“Uh…”

“Don’t worry, I’ll figure out what it was about eventually.” Catra winked before she sauntered her way over to a picnic table near the playground to set her water bottle and backpack down.

_So, maybe she doesn’t know about my crush on her? Or, maybe she’s just playing cool to make me think that she doesn’t know… Ugh! I wish she was as easy to read as I apparently am._

Adora walked over to the table too, following in Catra’s footsteps and set her water bottle down. From this perspective she was able to get a better look at what kind of condition the area was in. As kids practically everything was brand new, but now the playground was rusted, the trees were untamed, and the benches had wood rot. She continued to look around until she suddenly remembered something else that they had done as kids here.

“I wonder if it’s still here!” Adora looked over to a row of trees that lined the outskirts of the playground. She started walking towards one in particular.

“What are you talking about?” Catra said as she followed Adora’s line of sight.

“You don’t remember?” Adora asked.

“If I did, I wouldn’t be asking you idiot.” Catra responded.

Adora ignored her and walked up to a particular tree and began circling it, scanning the bark for something, until she spotted it. A barely noticeable engraving about five feet off the ground that that read _A.G. + C.D. _written in a heart.

Adora remembers Catra and herself using a sharp rock that they had found to carve their initials into the tree over ten years ago. They were a lot smaller back then and the tree growth would explain why it was so much higher off the ground now. She traced her fingers over the mark with a big smile on her face.

Catra finally spotted what Adora had found and smiled too before speaking. “How in the world did you remember that?”

“I remembered it because it’s important to me.” Adora genuinely said.

“Always knew you were a big sap Adora.” Catra said with a grin.

“Ha! Sap! Was that a tree joke?”

Catra rolled her eyes. “Actually no, it was just a coincidence, but now you’ve ruined the moment.” She began to make her way back over to the picnic table and sat down to pull out her art supplies. Adora looked at the carving one last time before joining Catra.

“What am I supposed to do while you do that?” Adora asked while looking at Catra’s art supplies.

“I don’t know Adora. Find a way to entertain yourself.” Catra said.

Adora thought that this was probably a good opportunity take in the nature around her. She walked over to the playground and sat in one of the swings that still remained. She gripped the rusty chains and started swinging back and forth. The metal structure creaked and Adora swore that the whole thing had shifted a little. _Probably not a good idea…_ so she opted to just sit there and watch the setting sun and forest critters that rustled about around her.

From where Catra was sitting, she could see Adora perfectly and the setting sun provided the perfect background for her drawing. She knew she would have to work quick, so she drew a rough sketch of the trees, playground, and Adora, paying close attention to her friend and how she was silhouetted against the sky.

Despite Adora’s usual problem of staying still, she was distracted enough by the animals around her for a few minutes. But then her mind began to wonder, and she was starting to get bored. _This is nice and all, but I want to find something else to do. _Adora started to get off the swing when she heard Catra called out to her.

“Hey! Stay there!” Catra demanded.

“Why?” Adora questioned her as she turned her head to look at Catra.

“Because I said so!” Catra was holding up her pencil and pointing it at her.

_Why does she want me to stay here? But then it clicked in her head._ “Are you drawing me?” She said through a smile.

“No!” Catra lowered her hand and slammed it on the table.

“Catra.” Adora said in a soft tone.

“Maybe!” Catra admitted, looking slightly embarrassed that she had been caught.

Adora took that as a yes and sat back down in the swing, trying to assume her previous position. Catra turned her attention back to her drawing and went over her sketch with a thin pen to refine her lines. Adora didn’t know how long she sat there, but it felt like hours.

She occasionally peeped over her shoulder to look at Catra. The way she leaned over her sketch book and fervently scribbled onto the page was really cute. She even stuck out her tongue once or twice, and Adora recognized that as a sign of extreme focus. And when Catra caught her staring, Adora just snapped her head forward to look back at the sunset, pretending like she was never staring in the first place.

Her gaze remained forward, and she fiddled with her fingers in her lap for a distraction and as a way to release some of that pent-up energy that was building within her from staying still for this long. And for some reason she couldn’t stop thinking about that tree with their initials on it. She sighed with relief when Catra finally called back out to her.

“Okay Adora! I’m done! We can go now if you want.” She said as she started to put her supplies back into her bag.

Grateful that she could finally move, Adora sprang up ready to do something that had been on her mind all evening. “Wait! I want to do something before we leave!”

Adora ran back over to the same tree that they were at previously that evening and pulled out her house keys. She started etching their initials into the tree bark just like she had all those years ago. She had the A.G. + C. D. carved into the tree before Catra had finally gathered all her supplies and joined Adora and observed what she was doing.

“Hey! I want to help!” Catra snatched the keys from Adora’s hand and this situation felt like a lot like déjà vu. Catra had done the same thing when they were kids and she was the one that put the hearts around their initials too, just like she was doing now.

When Catra finished, she gave Adora her house keys back and they both stepped back to look at their handy work. Their new engraving contrasted sharply against the tree bark and was to the right of their old childhood one.

“Not too bad, huh?” Catra was the first to speak as she turned to look at Adora.

“Yeah, I think we did a pretty good job.” Adora responded with a smile on her face and they held each other’s gazes for a time. And to Adora, the look Catra was giving her right now seemed different. There was something behind those eyes, that she couldn’t quite understand yet. _Gratefulness? Appreciation? Connection? Passion? …Love?_ That last word stood out from the others.

And it threw Adora off a little. Of course, she knew that she had feelings for Catra that were more than platonic, but she never would have imagined that Catra could reciprocate those feelings too. But it would explain why Catra was acting so differently around her lately. _Could… Catra be… in love with me too?_ The realization hit her like a ton of bricks, and she felt her knees get weak.

But before Adora could do anything about her sudden awareness, Catra looked back at the tree and spoke up again.

“What do you say? I think we should try to do this every ten years.”

“Agreed. But, maybe we could come more often too.” Adora replied with a smile.

The sun was setting fast now, and the temperature was dropping quickly. They definitely should be going home soon, plus it was a lot more dangerous to ride at night too. Adora reached out and grabbed Catra’s hand and began to lead her back to the motorcycle.

During their walk back, all Adora could think about was how funny the passage of time was. Coming here brought back so many good memories, and the fact that Catra was still by her side after all that time really put things into perspective for her.

Adora smiled to herself.

_Just let things happen naturally_. Her friends’ words echoed in the back of her mind as the girls continued to walk hand in hand to Catra’s motorcycle before heading home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can you tell that their relationship is finally starting to progress? And I promise you I'm almost done teasing you guys with the unresolved tension, longing and staring. Things will be happening next chapter! lol Also, *clears throat* HOLY SHIT GUYS!!! DID YOU SEE THE TEASER FOR S4?! I’M SO FUCKING READY!!! NOV 5TH BABY!!!
> 
> Next Chapter: The girls attend a house party. Or, drunk Adora + jealous Adora = interesting results for Catra.
> 
> Update: October 16, 2019.
> 
> Follow me on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/simplyabsolute1) and/or [Tumblr](https://simplyabsolute.tumblr.com/)


	5. House Party

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Catra and Adora go to a house party to celebrate the end of finals as the first half of their senior year is wrapping up. Adora feels like she’s out of her element at this party, so she tries to find something fun to do. She stumbles upon a beer pong competition and decides to challenge Catra. Things go downhill for her from there, but for Catra the night is just beginning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It’s our first multi POV chapter! And remember how I tagged this fic “good vibes only plus some drama?” Well here’s the drama! Things are going to get interesting…I hope guys like it! Also, I have a question for you all at the end of this chapter in the notes. Oh! And Scorpia and Entrapta become actual participants in this chapter too, not just background characters!
> 
> Timeline: December
> 
> Visual References:  
[Catra's Outfit](https://www.pinterest.com/pin/474989091949814396/?nic=1) and [Adora's Outfit](https://www.pinterest.com/pin/7599893106812729/)

It had been a couple weeks since that motorcycle ride and things were starting to get interesting between Catra and Adora. Ever since that day, Catra has been handing out small tokens of affection like it was candy on Halloween. She would brush up against Adora any chance she got, if they went somewhere, they held hands, and the constant winking, nicknames, flirting and ‘hey Adora’s’ were starting to become too much.

It was becoming clearer that Catra wanted Adora to make the first move, but she just didn’t know how to initiate. Being as awkward and clumsy as she was, whenever Adora did attempt to make a move, it failed miserably.

For example, a few days ago, the day before finals week actually, they were both sitting cross legged on the couch facing one another. Adora had asked Catra to help her with studying, so they had made flash cards for her sports nutrition class final exam in an attempt to help Adora with her memorization.

Catra shuffled the cards in her hands a few times before she began to read them out loud and Adora tried her best to remember the answers to the questions that were on the cards. It was all going smoothly until they were about halfway through the deck of flashcards. That’s when a mischievous look appeared on Catra’s face. It almost seemed like she had thought of something as she smirked to herself while staring down at the flashcards in her hands before glancing at Adora with a gleam in her eyes. It was a look that Adora didn’t quite understand and it was unlike any other expression that she had seen Catra pull before. _What is she planning now? Should I be scared? I’m kind of scared, but also very confused…_ She thought, but they continued on.

“What are three major roles of nutrients?” Catra questioned as she tried to subtly move closer to Adora, who was growing more anxious by the second.

“Hmmm…regulate body processes, supply energy for cells, and…to grow, maintain and repair body cells?” Adora answered in a nervous tone, still weary of the look on Catra’s face.

“Correct. It came out more like a question, but you still got it right, I guess.” Catra moved even closer, not even trying to be subtle about it this time, as she drew another flash card. Their knees were practically touching now. “Where are minerals stored in the body?” She continued on, like nothing was happening.

“Oh! I actually know this one! In the liver and in bones!” Adora would have been more concerned about Catra’s behavior, but she was thrown off by her own ability to answer this question confidently.

“Wrong.” Catra blatantly said.

“What?! I know that’s the right answer for a fact Catra!” She was really puzzled now.

“Nope. Sorry. Wrong answer.” Catra said with a smirk and a shrug of her shoulders. Adora **knew** she was playing with her. _What are you trying to get at Catra?! I know that’s the right answer! _Adora thought as she stared back at her. She then held out her right hand in Catra’s direction.

“Let me see the card.” Adora demanded.

“What? You don’t believe me?” Catra said with a pout.

“Catra.” Adora spoke her name sternly, like a parent warning a child of the repercussions of their misbehavior.

“If you want it so badly, come and get it.” Catra smiled as she raised the card in front of Adora’s face.

Adora quickly lunged for the card and Catra laughed as she pulled it away and held it up in the air out of Adora’s reach from her current location.

“Always too slow, aren’t you Adora?” She uttered in a mocking tone.

Adora slowly began getting up, in an attempt to grab the card. She shifted her position on the couch so that her left knee was in front of Catra’s crossed legs and her right foot was firmly planted on the floor. Catra giggled as she attempted to scurry away, but there wasn’t anywhere to go on the couch, so she just ended up pushing herself back away from Adora, until she hit the armrest.

Knowing that Catra had nowhere left to go, Adora grabbed the armrest behind Catra with her right hand and reached for the flashcard with her left. Adora had successfully boxed Catra in this way, and she felt victorious as she finally snatched the flash card from Catra’s hand.

“Haha!” She cheered.

Then she looked down and realized their compromising positions. In an attempt to stretch the card in her hand as far away as possible, Catra had leaned so far back that she was now practically lying down on the couch with her head propped on the armrest next to Adora’s right arm. As for Adora, she was essentially on top Catra while semi-straddling her at the same time. She looked down at Catra, and she was so close to her that she could probably count every freckle on her face if she wanted to, but all she could do was stare into those beautiful mismatched eyes.

“Hey, Adora.” Catra cooed and Adora felt her breath fan across her face. It sent shivers down her spine.

_Is this what she wanted to happen?_ Adora thought as she continued to stare at Catra.

They were literally inches away from each other’s faces and the distance between the two seemed like it was rapidly closing_. I really hope I’m reading this right_. Adora thought as she leaned in_. Here goes nothing_. Catra closed her eyes first and Adora looked down at her lips, just to make sure she had the right trajectory, but then she felt a tickle in her nose.

And…that’s when Adora sneezed.

She sneezed with such force, that she ended up headbutting Catra in the face. After that, Adora quickly backed out of Catra’s personal space and returned to her original position on the couch. She just stared at Catra, who looked like she was in pain and in shock at the same time.

“What the hell Adora!” Catra yelled as she rubbed the spot on her forehead that Adora headbutted.

“Sorry, sorry, sorry! Are you okay?” Adora asked, voice laced with concern and embarrassment.

“Yeah, I’m fine…let’s…let’s just get back to the flashcards.” Catra sadly said.

Since the moment was ruined, the girls awkwardly returned back to studying the flashcards, and Adora hasn’t tried out a ‘serious’ move like that since then.

* * *

A week later.

Finals were over and the first half of their senior year was finally wrapping up. Adora ended up acing all of her final exams, expect the one in her anatomy class, in which she got a B-, but it didn’t tarnish her overall A in that class anyway. As for Catra, that drawing of Adora she did a couple weeks back, earned her the highest grade she had received in that class on an assignment all semester, which boosted her final grade up to an A too.

But what the girls were really grateful for was that there would be about three weeks of free time available before the start of the spring semester. They looked forward to winter break every year and usually they would just spend it hibernating in their apartment for the majority of the time, occasionally going out with friends for a movie or coffee, and maybe to visit family, but nothing too exciting other than that. But, since this would be their last winter break as undergraduates, Catra wanted to change it up a little, despite Adora’s protests.

_“A party?” _Adora remembers questioning after Catra brought it up.

_“Yeah! It’ll be fun! Scorpia and Entrapta will be their too.” _Catra bounded with excitement.

_“I don’t know…” _Adora’s voice was doubtful. “_Plus, don’t you have to visit your Mom the day after?” _

_“Yeah, yeah, but it’s our last year here as undergrads and we’re seniors! We’ll practically be royalty at this party!”_ Catra had exclaimed after brushing off visiting her Mom._ “Freshman will bow to us and do anything we tell them! It’ll be hilarious_!” She smirked before continuing_. “Plus, there will be a lot of cute girls there, maybe I’ll even find someone to hook up with.”_ Catra said the statement so nonchalantly that Adora couldn’t believe what she just heard.

But that comment instantly determined Adora’s answer_. “I’ll go!” _She remembers responding way too eagerly, which got a laugh out of Catra. And that was the only reason she was agreeing to go to this party; she didn’t want other people hitting on Catra.

_“See…I knew you’d come around eventually.”_ Catra said in a sultry tone. She knew exactly what she was doing.

Currently, Adora was getting ready for that very party. She didn’t even know whose party this was, or where it was being held for that matter. But none of that really concerned her right now, because all she knew was that suddenly she didn’t have anything to wear in her tiny closet that was suitable for a party.

“Catra!” Adora called from her room.

“What?!” Catra answered from down the hallway.

“I don’t have anything to wear!”

“Bull fucking shit Adora!”

She heard the sound of heavy footsteps parading down the hallway leading to her room before her roommate walked through the door. The strong smell of vanilla and coconut was the first to hit her senses and the second was her realization of what Catra was wearing. Up until this point, Adora hadn’t known what Catra was going to wear to this party, and she really didn’t know what to expect, but when she walked through that door, her breath was taken away. Adora felt her mouth go dry and she tried to hide the obvious blush on her cheeks by turning her head towards the closet.

Catra was wearing a red bustier, that exposed part of her midriff, and the majority of her chest, with a pair of high-rise black jeans and her iconic black leather jacket, which contrasted sharply with the softness of the clothing that was underneath. _Where did she get an outfit like that?_ Adora questioned to herself. _But, she smells and looks sooooo good. Wait, let’s be logical here…isn’t that going to be cold? It’s the middle of December for god’s sake!_ Adora cleared her throat before attempting to talk to Catra.

“Aren’t you going to be cold?” She tried to ask, but it came out somewhat strangled.

“That’s not the point Adora! The point is to look good!” Catra looked at Adora, seemingly examining her current state before speaking again with a smile on her face. “Which I think I have succeeded in. Now, move!”

Catra pushed Adora out of the way as she started raiding her closet. She sifted through the clothes that Adora regularly wore in the front, which consisted mostly of school merch, sweatshirts and leggings. None of which was suitable for this party in Catra’s opinion. So, she decided that Adora should change it up a little as she moved further back on the rack to items that she hasn’t worn in years. Adora heard digging sounds, and a few irritated grunts, before Catra reemerged holding something.

“How ‘bout this?” She said as she pulled out a denim skirt.

“No, I haven’t worn that in forever.”

“Why not? It shows off your toned legs.” Catra spoke like she was uttering obvious facts while she returned to raiding Adora’s closet.

_She likes my legs? _Adora thought to herself._ Noted._

“Oh! This?” Catra pulls out a pair of faded black jeans.

Adora’s face lit up. “So that’s where that’s been! Yeah, I’ll wear those! I’m actually glad you found them.” Adora smiled as she took the jeans from her. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” Catra smiled back before returning to the closet. “Okay…now for a top…” Adora heard more rustling noises. “You wanna look hot? Or be comfortable?” Her question was muffled through the closet door.

“Comfortable?” Adora hesitantly responded.

“Loser. You never have any fun…speaking of which…who you saving this for Adora?” Catra reemerged from the closet holding a lace bodysuit with a huge smile on her face.

Adora was mortified and she couldn’t stop her face from burning up this time. To be honest, she had completely forgotten that she had that. Glimmer and Bow had gifted it too her as a gag gift last valentine’s day. They told her ‘if you’re not gonna look good for someone else, might as well look good for yourself.’ When she got home that day, she hid it in the back of her closet and that’s where it’s been ever since.

_I should have known that their gift would come back to haunt me one day._ Adora thought as she buried her face in her hands. All she could do was let out an irritated groan as Catra laughed at her uncomfortableness and went back to the closet.

Catra spoke through the door again, “In all honesty, it would look great with those jeans, but since you’re clearly not into that idea, I’ll look for something else.” The sound of metal hangers scraping against wooden bars filled the air now as Catra continued her search. “Let’s see…hmmmm…this isn’t bad.” She brings out a textured light gray sweater next.

Adora, still embarrassed from Catra finding that lace bodysuit, was ready to end this dress up session asap. “Sure, that’s fine.” She grabbed the sweater from Catra and held it in her arms with the jeans that she had found earlier.

“Great, now you have an outfit that is monotone and boring. Just like your personality.” Catra quipped with a smirk.

Adora just shot her a look of irritation and her voice carried that feeling in it when she spoke again. “Whatever, Catra. Just let me get ready.”

Catra was somewhat taken aback by Adora’s sudden change in tone. “Wow, okay. You’re already not having a good time and we haven’t even left the house yet.”

“I already told you that I didn’t want to go to this party.” Adora said as she attempted to cross her arms over her chest with the stuff she was holding while staring Catra down.

“Then why did you agree?” Catra asked as she closed Adora’s closet door.

“I have my reasons.” She took her eyes away from Catra and looked down at the floor.

“Oooooo, the ever mysterious Adora returns.” Catra sarcastically replied, wholeheartedly already knowing she was the reason Adora was going.

“Out.” Adora demanded and pointed to the door.

“Okay, damn.” Catra raised her hands in defense. “Meet me in my room when you’re ready, Miss Grayskull.” She was using formalities as a way to poke fun at Adora’s current attitude without riling her up any further.

Catra left the room and Adora closed the door afterwards. _Why is she always so annoying?!_ She thought as she stripped out of her clothes and tossed on a layering tank top before pulling on the jeans Catra had found, making sure to tuck in the tank, and then the gray sweater. She looked in the mirror and the outfit was surprisingly cute. _Even when she’s making fun of me, she’s still a great stylist. How do you do it Catra?_ Adora mused.

She then slipped on a pair of socks before opening her door, walking down the hall and into Catra’s room. She was sitting at her desk applying eyeliner onto her bronzed eyelids, which she definitely did not have on a few minutes ago. _Makeup? Who are you trying to impress? Maybe she really does have plans to hook up with someone tonight… _Adora furrowed her brows as doubt flooded her mind_._

“Welcome.” Catra acknowledged her presence by looking at Adora’s reflection in the mirror she was holding as she continued to apply her eye makeup. Adora just stood and watched as she added mascara to those already beautifully thick lashes of hers. She didn’t think Catra needed to wear makeup to look good, but it did enhance what she already had, and who was she to say that Catra couldn’t wear makeup. She could do whatever she wanted for all Adora cared. Well, except…hooking up with strangers at parties. That, she had to prevent from happening tonight.

Catra had just finished applying a deep maroon lipstick before she spoke up again. “Okay, I’m good to go. Now it’s your turn.” She said as she got up from her desk chair and gestured for her roommate to sit down.

“Me?” Adora was kind of stunned.

“Yes, you. Who the fuck else would I be talking about?” Catra scoffed.

Adora rolled her eyes. “Catra, you know I don’t wear makeup. I don’t even know how to put it on.”

“Which is why you should be thankful that I’m here. Now, sit.” Catra demanded as she pointed to the chair again.

Despite her hesitations, Adora eventually obliged and sat down in the chair. She looked up at Catra who was slowly invading her personal space before speaking. “What are you even going to do to me?”

That question had a lot of possible answers and it could be misconstrued into meaning something else. Adora blushed slightly after realizing what she just said. Thankfully Catra just chuckled to herself slightly and decided not to tease Adora for once.

“Don’t worry, I’m not going to cake your face or anything. Just eyeliner and mascara.” She said.

Adora made an annoyed huffing noise. “Fine.” She agreed already knowing that Catra probably wouldn’t take no for an answer anyway. She never does.

“Great! Now, hold still.” Catra’s left hand cupped the right side of Adora’s face as she leaned in closer to better examine her canvas so to speak. And honestly, it was a good thing that Adora had to have her eyes closed for this part, because Catra’s chest was practically in her face right now. _She’s doing this on purpose, right? _She wondered as Catra was applying the eyeliner. _Like, what is up with this girl and mixed messages?! She says she’s going to hook up with someone and then she shoves her boobs in my face?! Maybe I’m just missing something… _Adora felt Catra’s right hand leave her face and the rubbing sensation on her eyelids was gone.

“Okay, now open your eyes and look up.” Catra ordered.

Adora did so and Catra leaned back in, her chest seemed closer this time. _Someone help me_. Adora prayed as she desperately fought against her urge to look down. Then she felt the first swipes of mascara being applied and she narrowed her eyes at the unpleasant feeling.

“Stop squinting!” Catra looked at her fiercely.

“Sorry, I can’t help it. It feels weird.” Adora said as she blinked multiple times.

“Ugh! You’re gonna ruin it!” Catra removed her left hand from the side of Adora’s face, then placed it on the top of her head and used her thumb to raise Adora’s eyebrow to counteract the squinting.

“That’s even worse!” Adora said as she squirmed slightly under Catra’s hold.

“Too bad, it’s what you get for squinting. Now, **don’t** move.” Catra said before quickly applying the mascara to Adora’s right eye before moving to her left.

Adora let out a few more irritated noises during the process.

“There, done!” Catra released her grip and stepped back to look at her handy work. “Hmmm, not too bad. You actually clean up pretty nicely Adora.”

_Was that a compliment or an insult?_ Adora thought before answering. “Uh, thanks? Can I see it?”

Catra pulled out the compact mirror she had been using earlier and handed it to Adora. When she looked in the mirror, it was actually pretty good and Adora checked herself out for a few seconds. Catra had kept her look simple, opting for a single thin line of black eyeliner and not an overwhelming amount of mascara.

“Wow Catra, you actually did a pretty good job!” Adora exclaimed after setting down the mirror.

“Did you ever have a reason to doubt me? I’m an artist after all.” Catra said confidently.

“True.” She agreed.

“Now, come on. Let’s go!” Catra said and she started to exit her room.

Adora got up from the desk chair and followed her out into the living room. There, she put on a pair of sneakers and a coat. Catra slid on her pair of combat boots and grabbed Adora’s keys and tossed them at her, which she caught just in time. She was the DD tonight, just like she always was when Catra went to parties and needed a ride home.

“Ready?” Catra asked.

“Ready as I’ll ever be.” Adora responded.

The girls made their way out of the apartment, before locking up, walked down the stairs and entered Adora’s car. They were on their way to an unforgettable night.

* * *

When the girls pulled up to the party house it was already completely packed. There was no on-street parking left either, so they opted to park in an empty lot next to the house where a few other people had parked too. When they exited the car, the sounds of muffled party music filled the air. If they could already hear it out here, Adora imagined how loud it would be inside.

They started walking towards the house’s entrance when Catra pulled out her phone.

“Hmmm…let’s see if we can find out where Scorpia and Entrapta are.” She spoke and started texting away as they continued walking towards the house. “Okay, she said they would be hanging out somewhere out back, by the bonfire.”

“Okay.” Adora said plainly.

You could say that Adora was less than excited to meet up with Catra’s friends. It’s not that she didn’t like them…they were just different. Entrapta had known Glimmer and Bow for a pretty long time, and that’s how they actually ended up meeting was through them. She was a tech savvy gal, who had many quirks and an interesting personality. Adora overall really liked her and appreciated her friendship.

Scorpia on the other hand…let’s just say they didn’t really get along. She was older than Catra and Adora, and she actually went to the same high school as they did, but she was a grade ahead of them. She had taken a gap year and was currently a senior at Bright Moon University now too. None of that Adora had a problem with, her issue lay with how she acted around Catra.

It was obvious that Scorpia had a crush on Catra since the day she met her. Adora would observe how flustered and nervous Scorpia would get around Catra and she honestly thinks that Scorpia even tried to ask Catra out a few times before, but Catra either didn’t care or didn’t notice. It was hard to tell. Either way, Scorpia would honestly do anything Catra asked of her, and Catra knew that. Adora did not like that Catra used Scoripa’s affinity for her to her advantage, because it would send her mixed messages.

The girls finally made their way through the front door and into the threshold of the house and Adora took in her surroundings for the first time. The house itself wasn’t anything special. Just a normal middle-class home, maybe a touch larger than others in the area, that was decorated modestly and not outlandish at all. There were also people everywhere. Most of them were holding those signature red party cups and clustered in groups chatting away. There were some stragglers that looked somewhat lost or maybe they were just drunk, Adora couldn’t tell.

What was easy for Adora to tell, were what year people were in according to what they were wearing. Freshman always went all out at parties because they wanted to get noticed. The girls wore skintight dresses and the boys were dressed in their finest polos. This contrasted drastically by how most seniors dressed. Most senior girls wore jean and a sweatshirt, kind of like what Adora was doing, and the boys wore regular t-shirts and jeans or sweats.

The only person that didn’t seem to be following these unspoken rules was Catra. She was dressing like she wanted to get noticed and people were definitely looking. A few people by the threshold were even visibly gawking too. _Yes, I know she’s hot, but you don’t have to look at her that long. God!_ Adora thought as her urge to find Catra’s friends increased tenfold. That’s a lot considering she had no desire to meet up with them before.

“How are we even supposed to make our way through this crowd to get to your friends?” Adora asked Catra after leaning closer to her ear so that she could hear her over the music.

“Just follow me.” Catra said and smiled after taking Adora’s hand.

“Out of my way freshman!” Catra shouted and waved her free hand in the air like she was parting the red sea as she started to slowly lead Adora through the masses of people by the hand. As they were walking together, Adora couldn’t help but feel like Catra was still being watched. Or rather they were being watched. Her suspicions were confirmed when she caught people glancing at her and then Catra before whispering to their group of friends. Adora managed to pick up on some of the things people were saying.

“That’s the girl that kicked Lonnie’s ass, right?” A stranger asked.

_Wow, two months later and people are still talking about that?_ Adora thought as she continued to eavesdrop.

“Yeah, I wouldn’t mess with her. She’s got ties with the school president too.” Their friend answered.

_Ties with the school president? That makes me sound like I’m in the mafia or something._

“Oh, shit! Really?” Their friend nodded and the stranger continued on. “What about her girl?”

_Her girl? My girl? My girl. _Adora repeated the phrase in her head. _Are they talking about Catra? They have to be, right? God Adora don’t be so stupid! Who else would they be talking about? _Having someone call Catra her girl brought a smile to her face even if the title wasn’t entirely true… yet.

“I don’t know man…but, she seems pretty protective over her. I wouldn’t even try to get involved in any of that.” The other person warned.

Adora finally managed to make eye contact with the two people that were talking about her and Catra. When she did, they instantly tensed and looked away. They tried to act casual about being caught, which Adora found funny. In all her years, she would have never expected to gain the reputation of being a _badass_ during her time at Bright Moon University. But at least she knew people would leave them alone now.

Catra and Adora finally made it to the kitchen, where the exit to the backyard was, and that’s when the crowd started to thin out too. Catra let go of Adora’s hand, which she immediately missed the feeling of, as they walked through the sliding glass doors to the yard. Adora noticed how Catra scanned the yard for her friends, but it was pretty dark out, so they only saw shadows standing around the bonfire.

“Well, they should be somewhere over there I guess.” Catra said as she looked at the fire.

“After you.” Adora playfully gestured to the stairs that led down from the porch and Catra rolled her eyes before walking down them.

They approached the bonfire and its heat was greatly appreciated. It was pretty cold outside right now and the temperature will probably drop even more by the time they leave this party. Which Adora hoped would be soon, even though they essentially just got here. Catra walked around the left side of the bonfire in search of her friends and Adora saw Scorpia’s face light up when she spotted Catra.

“Hey, there you are!” Scorpia said as she rushed over to give Catra a hug.

“Scorpia, personal space!” Catra felt like her lungs were about to collapse from Scorpia squeezing her so hard.

_Personal space? Since when does Catra care about personal space?_ Adora silently chuckled to herself.

“Oh, sorry!” Scorpia said as she released her grip from Catra’s body. When she stepped back, Adora noticed the blush creep across her face before she spoke again. “You look really good tonight by the way.”

_Nope. Nuh uh. We are not having any of that! Not tonight! _Adora thought as she stepped towards them and cleared her throat to draw attention to her and away from Catra.

“Oh, hi…Adora.” Scorpia said with an awkward half wave.

“Hey.” Adora responded with a head nod as she continued to observe the two.

“This seems like a really cool party so far.” Catra interrupted sensing the awkward tension in the air. “Where’s Entrapta?”

“Not too sure to be honest. She just told me she was off to scout for the best people watching positions in the house.” Scorpia laughed.

“Classic Entrapta.” Catra said with a smile.

“Yep.” Scorpia then rubbed the back of her neck, clearly thinking about what to say next. _She seems oddly hesitant._ Adora thought._ Maybe it’s because I’m here with Catra tonight?_ “So…do you…” She continued.

“Scorpia, if you’re going to ask me to smoke with you, I’m totally down.” Catra answered through a laugh. It was something they regularly did at parties together.

“Great! I was just hesitant, because…you know…” She glanced at Adora before looking back at Catra. _So, I was right. Hmm…_

“Don’t mind her. I was the one that brought her here tonight, so she gets put up with all of my shit.” Catra nudged Adora’s shoulder. “Right, Adora?”

Adora shrugged kind of feeling uncomfortable in this situation. She knew that Catra had smoke weed before and that she partook in it at parties. She just didn’t think she would see it happen tonight. The thought honestly never crossed her mind. So, she was too caught up in her thoughts and feelings to protest. “Yeah, I guess…go have fun…”

“Thanks, Adora!” Catra embraced her. “You’re the best!” She winked and then ran off with Scorpia.

“Yeah, one of us should be able to have fun tonight…” Adora said to herself as she turned her attention back to the bonfire and watched the flames flicker in the darkness. She grew bored of that very quickly and the crowd out here wasn’t vibing well with her either.

While Catra was off getting high with Scorpia, Adora was essentially left to her own devices, so she decided to go back into the house to do a little recon of her own. She was feeling really out of place here and just needed something to distract her from all the chaos going on around her. She pushed her way through the crowd gathered around the back door and entered the kitchen. There wasn’t much in there, apart from food and excessive amounts of alcohol, so after eating some snacks, she moved on.

That’s when she stumbled upon a beer pong competition happening in the living room. There was a decent amount of people watching and cheering on from the sidelines. Finding almost any form of competition interesting, Adora decided to stay and watch a few rounds. She posted up against a back wall, where her view wasn’t too obscured and where she wasn’t in the way.

She sighed to herself as she watched on. _This party is so strange… _Adora thought._ Why did I let Catra bring me here?! And then she has the audacity to leave me alone, while she went to go get high with Scorpia? The nerve!_ She let her mind wonder. _I hope they’re not doing anything else. _Then she recalled Catra’s objective for tonight and panicked. _Oh, no…I should go back to check on her!_ Adora tried to leave her spot, but there were just too many people in her way right now and more seemed to be gathering. _They must be coming to see something specific._ She turned her attention back to the beer pong table out of curiosity.

The round that she had been watching before she spaced out was about to finish up. The two guys that were playing seemed to be pretty evenly matched and they had both ended up drinking almost all their cups. Apparently, this was a match between two opposing fraternity’s and Adora really didn’t care much about that side of college life, so she was glad that match was finished. But…Sigma Alpha Theta won if anyone is wondering, the best of the worst in Adora’s opinion.

The next round seemed to be going down between a guy and a girl. They were lining up their cups and this girl was definitely a freshman. She looked kind of lost, but she was trying her hardest to fit in. Maybe that’s why she agreed to a challenge from a senior jock from the BMU football team. In addition to everything, this girl seemed ditzy and fake, something guys like him would be drawn to. Adora really wasn’t here for that kind of stuff and she didn’t really want to watch a girl being taken advantage of tonight. _This game is going to end in disaster._ She thought._ I should really be getting back to Catra anyway. _Just as she was about to leave her spot on the wall a presence called out to her.

“Here to people watch too?” A voice said. One that seemingly came out of nowhere.

Adora was pretty startled, but she recognized that voice. She looked around and that’s when she turned to find Entrapta by her side. She was wearing her classic overalls over a long-sleeved insulated shirt, which kept her toasty, and a loose-fitting coat, whose pockets seemed to be filled to the brink with gadgets and a random assortment of other things.

“Where did you come from?!” Adora shouted, still a little alarmed as she looked down at Entrapta.

“I’ve been here the whole time!” She answered in a happy squeaky tone.

“Really?” Adora raised an eyebrow at her. “Like, in this very spot?” She pointed to the ground.

Entrapta clapped her hands together. “Yes! I’m practicing the art of blending into crowds.”

That’s when they heard an ‘oooo’ sound come from the crowd around them and Adora looked back at the table. Apparently, the guy had landed another shot in one of the girl’s cups. Adora counted her stack of empty cups and by the looks of things, he had already scored four of the girl’s drinks. _So much for not witnessing this travesty tonight._ Adora thought.

Adora turned her attention back to Entrapta. “Well, I would say you’re pretty good at it. You know, blending and all.” She said with a smile.

“Thanks!” Entrapta smiled back, feeling pretty good about her blending skills before speaking again. “So, what are you doing here? You usually don’t go to parties, right?”

“Right, but Catra **really** wanted me to come along this time and I only agreed so I could keep an eye out for her.” Adora crossed her arms over her chest as she looked back at the competition. “But then she decided to go get high with Scorpia and left me alone, so now I’m here.” She shrugged her shoulders.

“Uh huh, and how does that make you feel?” Entrapta asked as she pulled out a tablet from her coat.

“What?” Adora looked back at her and she was slightly puzzled by the question. _Wait. Where did she get that tablet from?_ She thought.

“How do you feel about Catra bringing you to this party, just to abandon you to hang out with Scorpia?” Entrapta asked in a direct tone of voice.

_Abandon sounds kind of harsh. That’s not what happened right? Or, is it…_ Adora thought before speaking again. “I guess…I feel…kind of hurt that she would just ditch me like that. I mean, she’s the one that wanted me to come along, but then she left me to be with her?” She huffed. “I thought **we** were supposed to be hanging out tonight…”

Adora looked back at the beer pong game while Entrapta jotted a few things down on her tablet. The guy was down three cups, but still had seven left, but the girl…she was down to two cups and her condition was worsening by the minute. She was definitely going to lose shortly. Adora turned back towards Entrapta just in time for her conclusion.

“Forgive me if I’m wrong Adora…” Entrapta scrolled through some pages on her tablet. “But I think you might be jealous?”

Adora was stunned. “What!? I am not jealous!”

“Well, that’s what the data says…” Entrapta droned on.

“Data?” Adora was confused again.

“Yes, I have been studying the relationships and bonds within our friend group for some time now, and other than Glimmer and Bow, you two seem to have the closest attachment to one another…but it’s different somehow, right? I just haven’t figured out that part yet.” Entrapta pondered while she stroked her long purple hair. “Oh! Do you care to explain?! Having a primary source of information does wonders in research!”

“Uhhhh…yeah, no…I…I don’t care to explain.” Adora said as she left her spot on the wall and slowly began backing away from Entrapta to the kitchen again.

“Okay! Well, see ya later!” Entrapta enthusiastically waved to Adora as she was leaving.

Adora gave her a little wave too before she turned around and sprinted out the back door, effectively losing sight of Entrapta. Luckily, she didn’t have to watch the rest of that beer pong game either. _Did she really just read me like that? How long has she been doing this ‘research’ of hers anyway?_ Adora thought as she walked down the stairs into the backyard. _I wonder what other conclusions she has come to about our relationship… _The thought gave her goosebumps.

Adora continued to search the yard and when she reached the bonfire, Scorpia and Catra were nowhere to be found. _Where did she run off too now? She better not be doing anything stupid…_ Adora scanned the yard again and saw a couple of figures standing by some bushes, so she decided to check it out. There was about a group of ten people standing in a misshapen circle, but Adora still couldn’t make out their faces in the darkness. What she did recognize was Catra’s figure. That outline she could recognize anywhere. As she continued walking towards the group, and as faces started becoming recognizable, she noticed that Catra was just chatting with Scorpia and a few other people by the bushes who were still smoking.

Adora saw Scorpia nod at Catra as if to give her a heads up that Adora was approaching.

“Hey, Adora.” Catra said as she turned to face her. “What brings you out here.”

“Hey, I just came to check up on you.” Adora rubbed the back of her neck. “Plus, Entrapta was freaking me out a little.”

“Oh, so you found her?!” Scorpia asked.

“Yeah, she’s in the living room ‘trying to blend’ while collecting data.” Adora answered.

Catra examined Adora’s demeanor. She knew that Adora was unsure or nervous about something when she rubbed the back of her neck and she knew for a fact that ‘checking up on her’ wasn’t the only reason that she was here. “What’s the real reason you came out here Adora?”

There were so many answers that she could give to Catra in that moment. _Oh, I just wanted to make sure you weren’t hooking up with Scorpia. Or, Entrapta just basically told me that she’s seeing who’s most compatible in our friends’ group and guess what? We’re a match!_ No, she couldn’t say any of those things, so she tried to think about something else. Her mind wandered back to those beer pong games that she was just watching. _That might be something fun to do…plus it would get Catra away from Scorpia._

“Well, I think I found something that might be entertaining for the both of us…” Adora said.

“Oh, really? And what is that?” Catra placed her hands on her hips and arched a brow.

“Just follow me.” Adora said. She started walking off, and Catra was intrigued by Adora’s behavior so she followed her through the backyard after saying bye to Scorpia.

When they finally reached the living room, the crowd that was formerly there had dissipated, and the table was open. Adora walked up to the table and playfully slapped it twice and raised an eyebrow at Catra as an informal way of stating a challenge. Catra thought for a moment, before realizing what Adora was insinuating.

“Are you seriously challenging **me** (she pointed to herself) to beer pong right now?” Catra looked amused.

“Yes.” Adora stated proudly.

“Adora…really?” She said through a sigh.

“Yep.” She crossed her arms and held her chin up high, not willing to give into Catra’s doubtfulness.

“Okay, it’s your funeral.” Catra said as she shrugged her shoulders.

The girls walked up to opposite sides of the table and began setting up ten cups each when they heard someone shout “Hey, two girls are doing another game in here!” A crowd started forming around them when they were almost done placing their cups. Apparently having two girls play against each other was the highlight of the party, because when Adora looked around after filling her cups, the crowd was twice the size as it was when she was on the sidelines.

“Okay, who goes first?” Adora asked.

“I’ll let you go first princess, since you’ll end up losing anyway.” Catra said with a hand on her hip and a smirk on her face.

Adora grabbed the ping pong ball and aimed before she threw it. And to every one’s surprise, the ball landed directly in one of Catra’s cups. Adora raised her hands in the air in triumph even though the game had just begun. _Wow! I actually did it! Maybe this won’t be so bad…_

“Well look at you Adora.” Catra smiled before picking up the cup and removing the ping pong ball. She kept her eyes locked on Adora as she drank from her cup. Catra set the cup aside and threw the ball back which landed in one of Adora’s cups.

Adora didn’t say a word as she drank from her cup before throwing the ball back again. She missed this time and Catra ended up catching the ball with her right hand.

“That’s more like it.” Catra said, sounding cockier by the minute. She threw the ball back and landed it in another one of Adora’s cups.

The game went on like that for a while. Catra missed a few times too, but it was Adora who was suffering the most. She managed to land one more shot on Catra’s side, but she continued missing and her aim got worse as she started to get tipsy.

Catra landed her seventh shot in one of Adora’s cups and the last thing she remembers is drinking from that very cup, as a voice called out to her before her world turned black.

* * *

Catra’s POV

“Adora? Adora! I think we should stop.” Catra called out to her. She was genuinely starting to get worried about her friend. Adora could not handle her alcohol like she could.

“What? No…I’m not…” She hiccupped. “…One to give up a competition!” Adora said slightly slurring her words.

“Yeah, but this is clearly a competition you won’t win idiot.” Catra said as she dragged her right hand down the side of her face as a sign of annoyance.

“Nonsense! I will be victorious!” Adora raised her arms, just like she had done in the beginning of the game, but this time she lost balance and ended stumbling backwards. Luckily, some people in the crowd caught her and stood her back up before she could have fallen over completely.

“Okay, that’s enough.” Catra said, formally deciding that Adora shouldn’t continue this game of beer pong. She was putting an end to it right now before her roommate could hurt herself. As Catra called off the game, she heard a few boos in response coming from the crowd and that just pissed her off even further. “Y’all can fuck off now!” She said as she held a middle finger in the air and the crowd finally started dissipating.

Catra walked over to were Adora was barley standing and approached her. While she was walking towards her, she saw Adora’s eyes scan her body. She knew this look, but she never expected it to be directed towards her. It was no secret to Catra that Adora was a mixture of personalities when drunk, and it was part of the reason that Adora didn’t drink that often. And right now, it looked like horny drunk Adora would be at the forefront tonight. So, with this energy seemingly being focused on her, Catra was feeling kind of stunned at the moment. _I definitely did not expect this…_ She thought.

“Hey, Catraaaaaaa.” Adora said when Catra was finally in front of her. “When’sd you get here?” Adora put her hands on Catra’s shoulders to steady herself.

“I’ve been here the whole-time stupid, now let’s go.” Catra brushed Adora’s hands off her shoulders and took her by the left hand to lead her back through the crowds and towards the car.

“Ooooo, where’s you taking me?” Adora said in a sensuous tone and Catra could hear her giggle behind her.

“Home.” Catra blatantly responded, not used to this unrestrained flirty side of Adora.

“WHAT?! BUT I WANT TO STAY HERE!!!” Adora whined.

_Apparently childish drunk Adora is the next behavior type to make an appearance tonight. _Catra thought to herself. Adora was usually either just super horny or really childish when she got drunk, so the fact that both sides of her were coming out tonight was displeasing to say the least. _I just hope no other personalities come out tonight._

Catra ignored Adora’s behavior and continued to drag her through the crowds until she felt a resistance in her pull. She turned around and saw Adora sitting on the floor with a pout on her face. _When did she even fall down?!_

“Come on Adora! We have to get you home!” Catra looked down at her.

“No!” Adora protested.

“Adora.” Catra said in a stern tone.

“Catra.” Adora mimicked her.

Catra started tugging on Adora’s arm again, but she was meet with the same resistance as before. _Why is she so heavy!_ Then an idea formed in her head. “Adora, do not make me get someone to carry you.”

“I’d like’t see youtry.” Adora slurred as she raised and lowered her eyebrows at Catra. God, if Adora was bad at flirting before, it was even worse when she was drunk.

“I didn’t say me, I said someone else.” Catra dropped Adora’s hand to prove her point.

“I do’t beliefsyou.” Adora responded and held out both arms in Catra’s direction like she was ready to be picked up.

Catra just looked down at her with amusement as she smacked her hands away. Adora was having so many mood changes in just the span of seconds that she honestly didn’t know what to do. She needed backup.

“Hey Scorpia?!” Catra called out knowing that the tall buff woman would be lurking somewhere around here. She was always there when Catra needed her.

“Yeah?” She answered from within the crowd before emerging to meet Catra. “Woah! What happened to her?”

“Beer pong. Now, would you mind helping me in getting her back to the car?” Catra pleaded with the biggest puppy dog eyes.

Scorpia really didn’t like Adora, but she wouldn’t deny Catra of anything. Plus, it would be kind of fun pissing off drunk Adora for the time being. “Sure, I guess.” She bent down and grabbed under Adora arms and started lifting.

“Hey!” Adora shouted.

Scorpia hoisted her up to her feet before bending back down again and picking her up by the waist. When she stood up, Adora was effectively slung over Scorpia’s left shoulder and Catra thought this was the funniest shit she’d ever seen. She moved in front of Scorpia and pulled out her phone to take a picture. Catra couldn’t help but notice that whoever crossed their path on the way back to Adora’s car, would also get a great look at her ass too. She took a moment to appreciate the sight.

“Catra? Catra!” She was pulled from her thoughts as Adora called out for her. She sounded panicked.

“I’m right here, what do you need.” Catra asked with furrowed brows as she moved from behind her to where she could see Adora’s face.

“Hold m’hand.” Adora said pitifully and stuck out her right hand.

“Okay.” Catra moved forward again, now standing to the left of Scorpia, and reached out her hand for Adora to take. That seemed to calm her down. At least for now.

The three of them walked through the party house as they made their way to Adora’s car. Catra noticed some people taking pictures and making catcalling whistling noises along the way. She just prayed that this wouldn’t bite them in the ass later. Luckily, with the way Adora was hanging off Scorpia’s shoulder, the hair from her ponytail obstructed most of her face. So, at least they wouldn’t have to worry about Adora’s identity being revealed. And honestly, Scorpia and Catra weren’t doing anything wrong in these photos either, which meant they shouldn’t get in trouble. Thinking that through really helped set Catra’s mind at ease. When they finally reached the car, Scorpia set Adora down and leaned her against the side of the vehicle.

“Thanks, Scorpia. I think I can handle it from here.” Catra said after placing a hand on Scorpia’s shoulder.

Scorpia blushed. “You’re welcome. Text me when you get home!” She said as she turned away and walked back to the party house.

Catra turned her focus back to Adora, who was staring her down with those dazed half-lidded blue eyes of hers. It was honestly kind of nerve wrecking, since Catra wasn’t used to Adora blatantly looking at her like that. But she had bigger problems at hand. She needed to get Adora and herself home safely and hopefully they wouldn’t run into any problems on the way back. However, she had to get the car keys from Adora first.

“Adora, where are your keys.” Catra asked.

Catra was met with a giggle. “In pocket.”

“Which one smartass.”

Adora just shrugged.

Catra sighed as she approached Adora. _Didn’t think I’d have to frisk my best friend tonight, but here we go._ Catra started with her coat pockets, because that seems like the most logical place to keep car keys, but she didn’t find any. She then turned to Adora’s front pockets and then her back pockets.

“Didn’t knoooow you wanted….tooooo feel me up….so badly, Catraaaaa.”

_I didn’t, well not in this way, but apparently you wanted me to. _Catra thought to herself.

She finally found Adora’s keys in her back-left pocket, honestly kind of surprising herself that she hadn’t notice them before when she took that picture. Guess you could say that she was distracted by the overall site of Adora’s ass and not really focusing on just the pockets.

She unlocked the driver side rear passenger door before guiding Adora over to it to sit down. She was sitting with her legs out of the car when she spoke up to Catra again.

“Catraaaa?” Adora whispered.

“What?” Catra asked, kind of annoyed.

“C’mere.”

“Why?”

“‘Cause I haaave…” She hiccupped again. “…to tell yooou something.”

Going against her better judgement, Catra approached Adora and bent down so she could hear her better. Adora stared after her with half lidded eyes and cupped both sides of her head. “What are you…” Catra tried to speak but was interrupted when Adora suddenly leaned forward and licked the left side of Catra’s face, from her jaw to her temple.

“Fucking gross Adora!” Catra shouted out before pushing against Adora’s shoulders which caused her to fall down into a laying position on her back. Adora was still giggling while Catra lifted her legs into the car and slammed the door shut. Catra leaned against the car for a moment to collect her thoughts. She was breathing heavily, and a thousand thoughts were racing through her head as she wiped Adora’s spit off the side of her face. _What the actual fuck was that? Why is she acting like this around me? It’s never happened before when she’s been drunk… Lord, this car ride is going to be an experience…I can already tell._ She took a few deep breaths._ I just need to calm down. We have to get home._

After collecting herself, Catra slid into the driver’s side, started the car and pulled out of the lot. She looked in the rearview mirror to check on Adora. She was still laying down on her back and seemed spaced out right now which was good for Catra. Hopefully Adora would stay like this for the whole car ride home.

* * *

Catra had been driving for about five minutes before she was surprised by Adora’s hysterically laughing. Whatever was going on in her head must have been really funny, because Adora hasn’t laughed like that for months. She was laughing so hard that her body was tensed, and she was red in the face, also probably from the alcohol too but that’s beside the point.

She looked into the rearview mirror again. “You alright Adora?” Catra asked semi-amused.

“Yeah…” Adora answered through an exhale between laughs.

“Okay…”

“Catra!” Adora exclaimed after a few seconds.

“What?” Catra answered. “And you don’t have to yell anymore. We’re in a car!”

“Yoooooou…know that vine?”

“Which one Adora?” Catra rolled her eyes, even though Adora couldn’t see.

“The one with hurricane and tortilla.”

_What is this girl talking about? _Catra thought. _Might as well play along._ “mhmm.”

“It’s just so funny, because…” She started laughing again. “Your name is Catrina…” More laughs. “And you’re Mexican!” Adora could barely speak from how hard she was laughing now.

Catra tried to process the joke. _Wait, is she talking about the ‘hurricane Katrina, more like hurricane tortilla’ vine?_ She shook her head from left to right in disapproval. _Is that what she has been laughing about for the past three minutes? What a fucking dumbass._

“That’s a really bad joke Adora, but I am impressed by your ability to recall Vines from six years ago while drunk.” Catra said through a smile.

Adora was still hysterically laughing in the backseat, but it quickly turned into a coughing fit. Catra saw Adora clench her hands around her stomach as she let out a groan. _She looks like she’s gonna be sick._ Catra thought. _But I guess that’s what you get for drinking the equivalent to four beers in less than twenty minutes. Especially if you’re not used to drinking._

“I swear to god Adora, if you throw up in this car, I am not cleaning it up.” Catra spoke.

Adora didn’t respond, she just rubbed her stomach and groaned again.

Catra continued driving.

* * *

They were about fifteen minutes into their drive when Catra reached a crossroads. She could either turn left to take the long way around back to their apartment, which was probably the safest route too. Or, she could turn right and cut through the Bright Moon campus as a shortcut, which was risky, but they would get home sooner.

She turned right.

“Catra!” Adora called out.

“What?” Catra answered. _Why does this girl keep screaming my name!_

“Give me hand.” Adora demanded like she was a kid.

“Adora, I’m driving.” Catra simply stated. Trying to remain calm and restrained through Adora’s antics.

“CATRA!” She shouted.

“Fine!” Catra reached back her right hand and felt Adora take a hold of it. She pulled her hand far enough back so that Catra’s forearm was laying across her chest while her hand was practically in her face. Catra felt Adora playing with her fingers and examine her nails before she started to trace the lines on her hands. Catra’s hand was so close to Adora’s face now that she could feel every exhale fan across her palm. It was oddly intimate, and it made Catra blush.

Then the outlining on her palm stopped and Catra’s arm was jerked further into the backseat. Before she could protest, she felt Adora kiss the inside of her wrist. It was electrifying and also very uncalled for._ What the fuck is going on with this girl tonight?_ Not sure how to react, Catra just snatched her hand back and refocused her attention on the road.

* * *

They were almost off campus, when Catra saw the telltale sign of blue and red flashing lights, traffic cones and a line of cars in front of her. She knew exactly what this was, and she had completely forgotten about it. The University had implemented a safe driving program about a year ago, which consisted of setting up check points around various campus access points, to check for drunk drivers.

Catra felt her heartrate speed up. She was nervous for obvious reasons: she had smoked weed and drank tonight, and she was driving around with her wasted best friend who was in the backseat. She looked in all of her mirrors and swiveled her head looking for an escape route. Unfortunately, it appeared that there was no way that she was going to get out of this. The line of cars had blocked her in from behind and the traffic cones were preventing her from turning around.

_Shit. Fuck. Fuck. Shit. God Dammit. Son of a fucking bitch! What is it with us and police this year!_ Catra was freaking out in her head. She tried to remain calm on the outside, because who knows what Adora would do if she saw Catra having a panic attack right now.

“Adora?” Catra called out to Adora who was still sloppily laying down in the backseat without her jacket. _Wait, when did she take her jacket off? The fuck?_ Adora had somehow managed to wrestle her way out of her winter jacket through her fit of laughter and coughing without Catra noticing.

“Hm?” She hummed.

“I need you to sit up and put your seatbelt on, okay?” Catra calmly asked.

“Yes, ma’am!” Adora responded.

_At least she’s being cooperative now…_ Catra thought as the line of cars moved forward. They were next in line and she felt her grip on the steering wheel start to waver as her hands were slipping from her palms sweating now. The car in front of them cleared and she pulled up next.

Catra rolled down her window and she felt her blood run cold when she recognized the officer standing in front of her. She could recognize that haggard, old, black box-dyed hair, evil bitch anywhere. She used to patrol their community when she was younger looking for ‘hooligans,’ but everyone knew she was obviously profiling minorities. Catra thought she had seen the last of her when she entered BMU, but apparently this person was moving up in the world.

_Great… _Catra thought_. Well, we’re really fucked now_.

“Catrina Diaz?” The police officer questioned after getting a good look at her face.

“Good evening officer Weaver.” She played it cool.

“What are you doing here?”

_What the fuck are you doing here!_ Catra thought, but responded with, “Uh, I go here?”

“Wouldn’t think a person like you would get into a place like this.” Weaver cynically said.

“Always underestimating me, aren’t you officer Weaver?” Catra couldn’t help but let that one slip, but that was probably the wrong thing to do and the officers face soured even more.

Catra saw her sniff the air and a wicked smile formed on her face. “Have you been drinking tonight Miss Diaz?”

“No.” She lied. “But my friend has.”

“Friend?”

Catra reached back, took a hold of Adora’s sweater by the chest and pulled her between the two front seats. It was honestly a miracle that Adora had gone undetected until now.

“Hello!” Adora greeted them and Catra let go of her shirt.

“Adora?!” Weaver exclaimed and her eyes widened in shock, but then she squinted at Catra. “I should have known. You two always were around each other and you were always such a bad influence on her... a _distraction_ to her.”

_Wow, okay. Harsh._ Catra thought.

“Officer Weaver! Everything okay over there?” Another police officer called out to her.

“Everything’s fine!” She shouted back. Catra then saw officer Weaver look at Adora and then at her again. “Get her home safe.” Weaver said dryly. “Now go!”

Catra wasn’t going to give her any time to change her mind, so she drove off and rolled up her window. “I can’t believe we just got away with that…” She said to herself. “Good thing you were here Adora, she would have detained me in a heartbeat given the chance.” Catra laughed to herself. “Ahhh…what a bitch.”

“Catra!”

“What it’s true!”

* * *

Their drive home was going smoothly now and Catra was enjoying some peace and quiet. She sighed to herself. _Hold up. Why is it quiet?_ “Adora?” No answer, so she looked in the rearview mirror and Adora was asleep. “So, now you decide to pass out? Fantastic. We’re almost home too.”

Catra put the car in park and exited the vehicle. She opened the back door and leaned into the vehicle to try and wake Adora up. She slapped the side of her face a few times to jolt her from her slumber and that finally got her to stir.

“Adora, we’re home. I’m going to need you to walk now.”

“Okay, Catrinaaaaaa.” Catra cringed at the use of her real name coming from Adora. She’s heard it enough tonight as is.

Adora got out of the car sloppily and wrapped her left arm around Catra’s shoulders to help steady herself. Catra grabbed Adora around the waist as the entered the stairwell leading to their apartment. Walking up three flights of stairs was going to be hard, but they needed to get up their someway. These were the moments Catra regretted not renting an apartment in a building that had an elevator.

They had just made it up two flights of stairs when Adora slipped from Catra grip and landed on the floor.

She started crying. “Catra, why don’t you love me!”

_Where the fuck did this come from?! _She thought. _This girl and mood swings, I swear._

Catra sighed. “Adora, we don’t have time for this.”

“No! You don’t have time for me!” She sobbed, effectively ruining her makeup that Catra had done for her earlier that night.

“What are you even talking about? I spend almost every minute of every day with you.” Catra said sweetly.

“Not at the party though.” Adora wiped some tears from her face as she huffed and crossed her arms over her chest.

“Huh?”

“You left me all alone to be with Scorpia tonight.” Adora said sadly.

“Only because you told me it was okay after I asked you!” Catra defended.

“But it really wasn’t…”

“Oh, Adora…” Catra knelt down to be at eye level with Adora. “I would have stayed with you if you had told me that up front.” She smiled.

“Really?” Adora questioned. She looked like she needed any type of reassurance right now.

“Really.” Catra stood back up and held out a hand towards Adora. “Now, come on. We’re almost there.”

Adora took her hand and hoisted herself off the ground. They walked up the last flight of stairs to their apartment and Catra leaned Adora up against the wall as she unlocked their door. She then grabbed onto Adora again and walked her through the door and straight to Adora’s bedroom, where she sat her down on the bed.

“Catra! Why is it sooooo hot in here?!” Adora said and she sat hunched over on the side of her bed.

“Probably because the heat is on?” Catra simply stated but was caught off guard when Adora started removing her sweater. Catra was thankful that Adora had decided to wear a tank top underneath of her outfit tonight.

“Stay here, I’m going to get you some water.” Catra called out as she began to leave the room. “And to turn the heat down apparently…” She walked into the kitchen and filled up two glasses of water. One for herself, which she drank right away and sat the glass down on the kitchen island, and one for Adora. She also adjusted the thermostat a few degrees as she walked past it on her way back to Adora’s room.

When Catra returned, Adora had apparently decided that it was a good idea to remove more of her clothing. Now she was just sitting on the edge of her bed in her bra and jeans. _Holy…fuck…_ Catra thought as her mind blanked and she damn near dropped the glass of water she had brought into the room when she saw her. She couldn’t help but stare, Adora’s body was like a temple and Catra was not used to seeing her this exposed. This was so much different than seeing her in her workout gear. For one, it was a t-shirt bra, so it revealed a lot more breast than a sports bra did and secondly, the context of this situation was unlike any other she has experienced before. _Damn, she’s so fucking hot… _She thought as she continued to stare. But she couldn’t help but laugh at Adora’s bra choice. It was nude and simple; practical and not flashy, just like she was.

“Catra, come here.” Adora cooed and Catra barely heard her.

“Why?” Catra said as she looked away from her body and to her eyes.

“’Cause I want you to.”

Catra should had known not to give into to Adora based on everything else that had happened tonight, but there was an allure radiating from Adora that pulled her in. She hesitantly approached Adora, placing the glass of water that she was holding on her desk, before stopping directly in front of Adora. Catra looked Adora directly in the eyes and there was something lurking in those eyes that Catra didn’t quite understand. _Craving? Yearning? Lust?_

Adora stared back at her. “You know you’re beautiful, right?” There was a sudden clarity in her voice that hadn’t been there since the beer pong competition.

“Uh, what?” Catra sputtered and a deep blush spread across her cheeks.

Adora reached out to Catra’s waist and hooked her fingers into her jean belt loops on the side of her hips. _What is happening…_ But her train of thought was interrupted when Adora pulled her closer so that she was standing in between her legs. Adora kept her eyes fixated on Catra’s as she looked up to keep eye contact. She could feel Adora’s breathing blow across her exposed midriff and it sent shivers down her spine.

“Adora…What are you doing?” She breathed out, still unable to process everything that was going on.

Then, Catra felt Adora snake her arms around her waist as she started to lean backwards towards the bed. She was basically dragging Catra down onto the bed with her at this point. They landed on the bed and Catra held herself up by her forearms that were placed at either side of Adora’s head.

She tried to process her current situation.

Here she was, laying on top of her shirtless drunk best friend/ roommate/ crush, who was staring up at her like she was the best thing in the world. Catra’s heart skipped a beat when Adora brought her hands up to her face and stoked her cheeks. Catra saw Adora’s eyes move back and forth as she looked into her right and then left eye, almost as if she were searching for something.

Catra knew in this moment that that look lurking in Adora’s eyes wasn’t lust, like she had originally thought, but desire. Desire for her. _How long has she been feeling this? _She thought._ She’s never tried to make a move on me before…Or maybe she has, and I just didn’t realize it because of how bad she is a flirting? _Catra’s memory flickers back to the flashcard incident a couple of days ago_. Oh…my…god…She was going to kiss me!_

She had no time to process this new revelation as her head was pulled forward and her lips smashed against Adora’s.

Catra was paralyzed by the sudden kiss.

It was wet…it was uncoordinated…but it was so Adora…and it was everything Catra ever thought it would be. She’s wanted this for so long and she couldn’t help but give in a little. _It’s happening! It’s finally happening!_ She thought. Catra started to kiss her back and it was only when she felt Adora’s tongue brush along her bottom lip, when the gravity of this situation hit her. _It’s happening…but it doesn’t feel right…_

Adora was drunk right now and Catra was really confused by the sudden course of events unfolding in front of her. It sent her anxiety skyrocketing and when that happens, she panics. There were a thousand thoughts running through her head right now. _She’s drunk! She can’t even think straight right now. What if she really does want this? She’s just doing this because she’s drunk. I gotta get out of here._ She pulled away from the kiss, quickly got off of Adora and scrambled towards her own room.

“Wait, where are you going?” Adora called out after her but did not follow.

Catra ignored her, walked into her room, slammed the door and panicked. _Oh my god. Oh my god. Oh my god! I just kissed Adora! And I liked it? Of course I liked it! I’ve wanted to do that ever since high school. But she’s wasted right now…will she even remember tonight? What am I going to do?! _A plan started to form in her head. _Well I supposed to leave for my mom’s tomorrow, maybe I can sneak out before Adora wakes up, so I avoid face to face confrontation with her? Sounds like a great plan to me! _She knew it wasn’t a good plan, but she could not handle seeing Adora in the morning.

Catra grabbed a large backpack and started filling it with all the necessary supplies she would need to take with her on her visit to her mom’s house in the morning. Clothing, toiletries, her laptop, sketch book, etc. Literally, anything she could think of. After she was done packing, she laid down in her bed and tried to get some sleep. Honestly, she was just waiting for the sun to come up and for her blood alcohol levels to go down, but she managed to doze off sometime during the night.

* * *

When Catra woke up in the morning, she got out of bed and peeked into Adora’s room. She was thankfully still asleep in her bed, laying on her back, and her expression looked rather peaceful despite everything that went down last night. It also looked like Adora hadn’t managed to change out of her clothes from last night either, since she was still in her nude bra and gray jeans.

Catra walked into the kitchen and pulled out a sticky note and pen to write a message for Adora.

_Hey. Left for my mom’s house this morning. <strike>Text me when you wake up</strike>. -C_

She crossed out that last part because she still wasn’t ready to talk to Adora, that’s why she was leaving in a hurry in the first place. Catra stuck the note on the fridge before picking up her bag that she had packed last night and headed for the door.

With her hand on the door knob, she looked back at Adora one last time before walking out of their apartment._ I know I shouldn’t be doing this, but I have to._ Catra thought.

She left for her mom’s house without saying goodbye.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I know that probably wasn’t the kiss that you all wanted but I felt like I needed some sort of conflict to get their relationship to really progress out of the friendzone. Also, bet you were starting to think Shadow Weaver wouldn’t be in this fic. Didn’t you? Well surprise! Lol This was just a cameo though; I don’t have any plans to make her a major character in this story. This probably the halfway point in this fic too, but I don't want to put a chapter count on it because you never know! And I know I probably don’t have to say this, but please don’t drive under the influence and drink responsibly!
> 
> Next Chapter: Catra’s abuela comes for a visit. Or, she’s secretly there to help the girls sort out their relationship problems.
> 
> Update: October 23, 2019
> 
> Question: I wanted some opinions for next chapter too. So, I will be incorporating some Spanish into chapter 6, and I really don’t want to include in-text translations, but if you guys want them I will. Personally, I would rather have you be as confused as Adora in the next chapter (if you don’t speak Spanish) and honestly I’m going to use Catra’s thought process as a pseudo-translation process anyway… but I’d still like you thoughts.
> 
> Follow me on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/simplyabsolute1) and/or [Tumblr](https://simplyabsolute.tumblr.com/)
> 
> Fan Art:  
[The Drunk Kiss](https://twitter.com/jjayes0/status/1197635811119947776) by @jjayes0  
[Catra's Outfit](https://fruitsand-peachies.tumblr.com/post/189533462686/for-simplyabsolute-human-college-au-senior) by @fruitsand-peachies


	6. Family Visit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Catra’s abuela, Celia, comes to visit her and Adora during the last week of winter break. Though her visit is unexpected, Catra knows exactly why she’s here. She must have heard about the conflict between her and Adora through her mom and plans on trying to mend their relationship somehow. Will it work? Let’s just say Celia knows what she’s doing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Look who decided to upload early again! But, please don't get used to it lol. I only did it again because ironically I have some family members visiting me this week too and today is the only day that I will be able to post this week. Anyway, I want to start off by saying that Spanish is not my first language, so I apologize if there are any grammatical or formatting errors. Also, I have decided not to include in-site translations (I just think the story flows better this way) and I think you all will like what I did. Trust me, you will still be able to understand the plot and dialogue. There’s also another question for you all at the end of this chapter too!
> 
> Timeline: January
> 
> Thank you @magicgumball and @andrewzehusky on Tumblr for helping me correct the Spanish in this chapter!

Adora’s POV: Morning after the house party.

Sunlight flooded Adora’s room as she laid on her bed, hardly conscious, in her hungover daze acquired from last night. She barely opened her eyes to take in her surroundings, since she still wasn’t entirely sure where she was, and her head pounded to life as the light met her eyes. She let out an irritated groan as she quickly shut her eyes again, before burying her face into her pillow. She did manage to piece together that she was in her room now. _What even happened last night?_ She questioned to herself. _My head hurts, I feel like absolute garbage, I’m really thirsty, and I’m cold…? Wait, why am I cold?_ Adora lifted her head from her pillow, forced her eyes open again, and this time she was able to observe her surroundings completely. She was currently laying on top of her covers, still in her jeans from last night, and she only wearing a bra on her upper half.

Adora quickly sat up to cover herself, which made her head hurt even more, but she did **not** want her roommate seeing her in just her bra. _Catra must have driven us home last night and made sure that I got into bed, but that still doesn’t explain why I’m topless._ Adora thought and she was honestly still very confused. Speaking of Catra, Adora also noticed that her own bedroom door was open, which wasn’t unusual since she kept it open all the time, but the apartment sounded oddly quiet this morning now that she was starting to come out of her daze. Adora decided that she wanted to investigate, so she scooted to the side of her bed before standing up, throwing on a loose t-shirt and heading towards the living room.

As she exited her room, she briefly scanned the living room and kitchen area, and noticed that her roommate was nowhere to be found. Typically, in the mornings after a party, Catra would be in the kitchen concocting some sort of hungover cure that she had found a recipe for on the internet. Even though they were usually really nasty, they did the trick, and Adora really wished that had one of those miracle cures right now to fix her horrendous headache.

She then looked towards Catra’s room and noticed that her bedroom door was open, which was odd since it never is. This was a definite red flag for Adora and honestly, she started to feel her heart race as concern and panic took over her nerves. _Is she okay? Did something bad happen to her? I should go check._ She thought as she approached Catra’s room and pushed open the door.

When Adora walked into Catra’s room, she realized that everything looked out of place. Her room was usually messy, but currently, it looked like someone had ransacked the place. Catra’s bed was a disaster, her dresser drawers had been left half open and her school laptop and sketch book were missing from her desk. But Catra herself was nowhere to be found. _So, she’s gone? But, why did she leave in such a hurry?_ Adora thought as she walked back into the living room, before noticing something on the fridge in the kitchen. It was a note that she somehow managed to miss on her initial scan of the area.

She walked over to the fridge and pulled the sticky note off of it before reading it.

_Hey. Left for my mom’s house this morning. <strike>Text me when you wake up</strike>. -C_

Adora was stunned. _She left without saying goodbye?_ She felt absolutely heartbroken. _She always says goodbye to me before leaving… Did I do something wrong? Why did she scratch out that last part of the note? She doesn’t want to talk to me? Is she mad? Does she…does she hate me?_ Adora was so caught up in her thoughts that she hadn’t even realized that she was crying until a tear fell onto the sticky note in her hand. _And now I’m crying? Fantastic._

She set the sticky note on the kitchen island, before wiping the tears from her eyes and noticed that they were stained black. _Great. I’m still wearing the makeup from last night too…_ Adora thought as she walked back to her room before stepping into her bathroom. When she looked into the mirror, she hardly recognized herself. Her eyes had dark circles under them from being hungover and they were puffy from crying, but the worst part were the black smears all over her cheeks from the makeup. She grabbed a makeup remover wipe and started to clean up.

But then she noticed something odd when she took a closer look at her own face. Some of the black smears looked like they had previously been there, since they were dry and not damp like the others. _Was I crying last night too? God, why am I such a mess?!_ She sighed as she continued to wipe away at the streaks that trailed down her cheeks and to her chin, until she spotted something on her mouth. _Is that… is that lipstick?_ She thought as she set the makeup wipe down and raised a hand to her lips to rub at the color there. When she took her hand away, she examined the residue on her fingers at it indeed was lipstick. Something clicked in her head and she suddenly realized that the color matched the shade Catra was wearing last night.

Her eyes widened and her mind blanked.

_Ho…ly…shit…DID I KISS CATRA LAST NIGHT?!?!?! Noooo… that’s not possible, right? But, then how did the lipstick get on your mouth Adora!?_ Now she was just fighting with herself about her own denial. _Maybe her face just hit mine in an angle that caused her lipstick to get on my mouth? Uh huh, so you just so happened to “fall” onto her lips? Yep. Right… _Her other voice was making a lot of sense right now. _Wait, why am I talking to myself_ _when I could talk to real people? _She picked up her phone and dialed Bow, who she knew would be with Glimmer this morning.

“Morning Adora.” Bow responded through a yawn. “How was the party last night?”

“Yeah Adora!” Glimmer way too excited right now for Adora’s liking. “How was it?”

Adora sighed. “Guys…something happened last night…”

“What’s up Adora? Are you okay?” Bow’s tone changed instantly. He sounded really concerned.

“I…think…IkissedCatra.” Adora said that last part so quietly and quickly that her friends couldn’t hear her.

“You think you what? It’s okay, Adora you can tell us anything.” Glimmer said reassuringly.

Adora took a deep breath before repeating her sentence. “I think I kissed Catra.”

“WHAT?! That’s great news!” Glimmer exclaimed. “You finally made a move on her! Wait, what do you mean you think you did?”

“Well…apparently I ended up getting wasted last night, because I don’t remember a thing.” Adora said.

“You were drunk? That’s really out of character for you Adora.” Bow stated.

“Yeah, I know, but I was really uncomfortable at that party, so I looked for something that Catra and I could enjoy together. And I ended up challenging her to beer pong, which was my first mistake, and one thing led to another…but I really don’t remember anything after the beer pong competition.” Adora confessed.

“How do you know you kissed her then?” Glimmer asked, she sounded somewhat confused.

“When I was removing the makeup from my face right now, I noticed that I had lipstick on my mouth, and it was the same color she was wearing last night…” Adora shyly admitted.

“Girl, you totally kissed her.” Glimmer simply stated.

“I know! And I ruined everything! This is why I never wanted to do this in the first place, because I didn’t want to ruin our friendship. And I took your advice to ‘just let things happen’ and look where that got me!” Adora was speaking so quickly that she was now out of breath.

“Adora calm down. Is she there now?” Bow asked.

“No! See that’s the weird thing. When I woke up this morning she was gone. She was supposed to head to her mom’s today to visit her over break, but she always says goodbye before she leaves, but she didn’t. And all I got was a sticky note message that was left on the fridge.” Adora was starting to tear up again.

“What did the note say?” Glimmer questioned.

“It said: Hey. Left for my mom’s this morning. And then she crossed out text me when you wake up, before signing it C.”

“Ouch. That’s kind of harsh. But it seems like she isn’t ready to talk yet.” Bow said.

“Yeah, I agree. Give her some space and she’ll come around eventually.” Glimmer stated.

“Thanks, you guys. You always give the best advice and you really know how to calm me down. I love you!” Adora said.

“We love you too Adora!” Bow exclaimed.

“Yeah we do! Love you too!” Glimmer cheered.

“Alright guys, talk to you later.” Adora said with a smile. It was the first time she had smiled all morning.

“Byyyyyeeeeeee!” Glimmer and Bow both said before hanging up.

Adora ended up not texting Catra that morning.

She had some packing to do too, if she wanted to be on time for her own family visit. She wasn’t supposed to leave until tonight, but there was no reason waiting until then if Catra wasn’t here.

* * *

Catra’s POV: 2 weeks after the house party.

Catra had come back from her mom’s house a few days ago and things have been really awkward between her and Adora ever since. She hadn’t really talked to Adora while she was gone either. They only sent occasional texts to one another just to make sure they were okay, or if family members said hi, really random stuff like that. Nothing like their playful banter that they usually had in their text conversations.

The problem in their relationship right now obviously stemmed from what happened at that house party two weeks ago. Catra really didn’t know how to bring up what had happened, and confrontation with Adora was always really weird. Yeah, they’ve fought before, they have known each other their whole lives so conflict was really inevitable, but this time it felt different somehow. This was more than a petty fight over something that was completely miniscule, this fight involved their entire friendship and the line that had been crossed with that kiss.

According to Catra, Adora still didn’t know that she had kissed her that night and if she didn’t know about it, then why should Catra bring it up? In her mind it was easier to keep it a secret than having to deal with a really awkward situation face to face with the person that it happened with. But, Catra was beginning to suspect that Adora was getting frustrated with her behavior. She has been unusually distant towards Catra since she got home, and they’ve haven’t hung out since the party. It was starting to feel uncomfortable and the awkward tension between them was almost unbearable.

Currently, Catra was in her room, sat down at her desk, faced towards her laptop that was on tablet mode. She wanted to try her hand at some digital art today, since she had signed up for an animation class for the upcoming semester. It was a beginner course, but it counted towards the last free elective credits that Catra needed to graduate. She was actually really excited for this class because she’s been interested in animation since she was a kid, but she never had the opportunity to take a class in it. So, when the art department announced a brand-new animation course for the upcoming spring semester, she pounced on it as soon as she could.

Catra wanted to get some practice in before the start of the semester, to make sure she wouldn’t make a fool out of herself. She was just starting up her bootleg animation software, when there was a knock on the door. “I’ll get it!” She called out from her room. Catra had been expecting a package for the past few days. It was actually Adora’s birthday present, and even though things were weird between them ever since she got back, it wasn’t an excuse to miss out on her best friends’ birthday in a couple of days.

She exited her bedroom and Adora was surprisingly not in the living room, where she usually would be this time in the afternoon, but it her room. Catra could see her sitting on her bed, reading a book, but she had looked up to glance at Catra and when their eyes meet, she looked away immediately. This weird strain in their relationship was starting to take a toll on her, but Catra moved on and grabbed the doorknob and twisted it. When she opened the door, she was shocked. Of all people she was not expecting her abuela to be standing behind that door.

“Uhhh, hi abuela…what are you doing here?” Catra questioned in a puzzled tone.

“Your grandma Celia is here?!” Catra heard Adora excitedly shout from her room. She sounded happier than she had been over the past couple of days.

“¿Crees que puedes ir a visitar a tu madre y no a mí? Hm?” Catra’s abuela asked.

“Uh…sorry? It was kind of a rushed visit with mom…” Catra lied.

“Mmmhhhhmmmm, segura.” Celia sassed. “¿Y por qué no estás hablando español?”

“¿Lo siento?” Catra apologized, even though she didn’t know why she should be sorry for speaking English in her own apartment.

“Mejor.” Celia responded.

Catra heard the sound of Adora’s footsteps approach from behind. When Celia saw Adora, her face lit up immediately. See the thing is, for whatever reason Catra’s abuela had loved Adora like one of her own grandchildren ever since they were little. Despite the language barrier, they both seemed to enjoy each other’s company which was odd. At least it was to Catra.

“Adora, mi amor.” Celia said as she stepped around Catra and pinched Adora’s cheeks before giving her kisses on the right cheek, then left, as a greeting. “Es bueno verte otra vez.”

“Uh, what did she say?” Adora shyly asked Catra in a confused tone.

“She said it’s good to see you again.” Catra replied.

“It’s nice to see you too Celia.” Adora smiled at her.

Celia continued on to set her bags in the living room, before she moved to the kitchen to pull out various containers and cooking supplies. Catra recognized what her abuela was about to do and she was super excited. If she thought her mom’s cooking was great, her abuela’s cooking was spectacular. _How is she going to manage in this small kitchen though_? She thought, before Adora spoke to her.

“So why is she here exactly?” Adora questioned Catra. Even if they weren’t really on speaking terms right now, Adora was still curious.

“Uh, apparently she was upset that I didn’t tell her I was going to visit my mom over break. So, I guess she’s here to visit me before winter break is over?” Catra replied. This was already more than they have talked to each other in the past couple of days.

“Seems like you didn’t tell a lot of people that you were leaving suddenly to go to your moms.” Adora responded coldly.

Catra clenched her jaw and she felt like crawling into a hole right now. She wasn’t used to Adora acting so distantly towards her, but she knew that she was mad that she has basically been avoiding her for the past two weeks. Catra really did not want to have this conversation right now, but luckily her abuela called for her help from the kitchen.

“Rina! Ayúdame en la cocina.” Celia called from the kitchen.

Rina was the nickname that her abuela had given to her as a kid, despite her protests of wanting to be called Catra, but she honestly didn’t put up too much of a fight about it because she knew better not to question her abuela.

Catra started to move towards the kitchen and Adora walked back towards her room, before she sat down on her bed to continue reading whatever book she had been previously. Catra was now alone with her abuela in the kitchen and she had her suspicions that she did this on purpose. And she would be proven right about her assumptions when her abuela spoke up again.

“Tu madre me contó lo que pasó entre tú y tu novia.” Celia said. Apparently, she knows about what went down between Adora and herself through her mom and she thinks Adora is Catra’s girlfriend. _Great, fucking great! Can this get anymore awkward?!_ Catra thought.

“¡¿Mi novia?! Ella **no** es mi novia.” Catra replied and Celia just gave her a knowing look. “¿Qué? Ella no es…” Catra continued denying that Adora was her girlfriend, which was technically true, but it was also complicated right now.

“Rina, veo como ustedes dos actúan una alrededor la otra. ¡No soy ciego!” _Do we act like girlfriends?_ Catra thought as her abuela continued speaking. _Is it really that obvious that we like each other? WHY DID NO ONE SAY ANYTHING!_ “Y ahora, ustedes dos no están actuando como ustedes mismas.” _Yeah, I know we are acting differently around each other now…_ but obviously Catra wasn’t going to say that out loud so she responded with:

“¿Y qué?” Catra responded.

“Necesitas resolver las cosas si quiere arreglar su ‘relación.’" Celia said in a genuine tone. _Working things out is a lot easier said than done abuela…_ Catra thought.

“¿Y cómo esperas que haga eso?” Catra sarcastically replied, but she was kind of interested in seeing how her abuela wanted to help fix her and Adora’s ‘relationship.’

“¡Adora! ¿Puedes venir a ayudarnos?” Celia called for Adora’s help from the kitchen.

_Oh, shit…no…nononono!_ Catra was panicking now._ Is this her plan?! To force Adora and I to work together?! Well played abuela, well played. But I will not fall for you tricks!_

Catra glared at Celia, who just smirked back at her. _Guess that’s where I inherited my attitude and mannerisms from._ Catra thought as she turned her attention to Adora’s room and watched as she got off her bed and started to walk towards the kitchen. Despite everything, Catra did think it was funny that even though Adora didn’t understand Spanish, she always responded to Celia when she called for her. That’s probably part of the reason that Celia loves Adora so much.

“What?” Adora asked when she entered the kitchen area.

“She wants you to help us.” Catra responded without looking at Adora.

“Okay, what can I help with?” Adora said.

“Puedes ayudar a preparar la cocina.” Ceila said and Adora looked at Catra again for a translation.

“She wants you to help with assembly.” Catra said and Adora nodded.

Celia began to pull food storage containers from her bags and with every single one that she placed on the island Catra grew more excited. Despite her uncomfortable predicament with having to work with Adora right now, food was always worth it for her. It looked like most of the food was already made, which was a good thing considering their humble kitchen, so most of it would just have to be heated up.

Catra’s abuela did bring a lot of food, but it was measly in comparison to what she was used to at big family gatherings and parties. Celia started taking the lids of the containers and Catra’s happiness level skyrocketed. There was carne asada, homemade tortillas, pico de gallo, guacamole, and various other ingredients and toppings for the tacos that they were going to make. But Catra wasn’t interested in that. No. She was interested in what appeared to be the ingredients for elote, one of her favorite Mexican comfort foods.

“Is that what I think it is?!” Catra exclaimed and smiled when her abuela nodded.

“What are you talking about?” Adora asked.

Catra pointed to the container that held the corn and then to the mayo, cheese and chili powder in the bag next to it. “Mexican street corn!” Catra exclaimed. “You’ve had it before Adora.”

“Oh, yeah! I remember now. You practically dragged me across campus on food truck day, when you heard that a vendor had those.” Adora laughed. “I’m pretty sure you had like three of them.”

Catra smiled. “Okay, but at least I wasn’t the one who ate ten tacos and then complained that she didn’t feel well for the rest of the day.”

“They were so small! I wasn’t keeping count!” Adora replied.

They both laughed now, before they caught each other’s eyes, and the atmosphere turned uncomfortable again. Right, they were supposed to be mad at each other. That’s what they were doing. Both being too stubborn to admit that they were in the wrong somehow. It was honestly getting really confusing to Catra and to Adora too. The girls certainly didn’t know what they were doing but Celia knew exactly what she was doing.

As the girls just sood there awkwardly, Celia moved to turn on the toaster oven and portable stove top to heat up a pan. She put the container with the corn in the toaster oven and the carne asada in the pan, along with other ingredients so it wouldn’t dry out. She turned back around and observed Catra and Adora, who still avoided eye contact with and faced away from each other.

“Rina, ¿puedes poner algo de música?” Celia asked. _Why does she want music?_ Catra thought, but once again she wasn’t going to question her. She knew better than to ask questions with her family. Asking stupid questions would result in getting hit with a chancla and that shit stung when they slapped you with it.

“Ok.” Catra took out her phone from her pocket and put on she traditional Mexican party music playlist that she had found on Spotify and hit play.

“¡Eso está major!” Celia definitely approved in Catra’s choice of music as she grabbed her hands and started dancing with her granddaughter.

Catra was kind of surprised by her abuela’s sudden dancing, but it was actually not that usual. During family events they would always have music playing while they cooked, and they would dance along to the beat for fun as they stirred their pots, made tortillas and caught up on family gossip. So now that Celia was giving Catra a reason to dance too, she jumped right in. Hand in hand, they danced just like old times. They were having a great time swaying their hips and shimmying their shoulders, as Adora just watched with a smile on her face. Catra noticed Celia looking over her shoulder at Adora before she spoke up.

“Adora.” Celia held out a hand for Adora to take.

“Oh, no Celia. I really can’t dance.” Adora protested.

“It’s true.” Catra chimed in. She knew exactly what her abuela was planning and she wasn’t going to fall for it. She just prayed that Adora wouldn’t either.

“Tonterías, cualquiera puede bailar.” Celia argued and Adora looked at Catra for an explanation.

Catra sighed. Adora was definitely going to take the bait. “She said anyone can dance.”

“Okay…” Adora said as she took Celia’s hand. _God dammit Adora! Why are you always such an oblivious people pleaser?! _Catra thought as she watched the scene unfolding before her eyes.

There they were. Stood in the kitchen. Celia in the middle of the two girls, Adora’s hand in her left and Catra’s in her right. She looked over at Catra and she knew what that look meant. _She wants me to take her hand. No way abuela! I am not falling for it!_ But to Catra’s surprise, Adora offered her left hand to Catra. She looked at the hand, and then to Adora, and the flat expression on her face was hard to read but Catra took her hand anyway.

This was the most physical contact that they have had in two weeks, beside that awkward half hug that Adora gave her when she got home from her mom’s. Catra felt grateful that Adora was making the first move in repairing their relationship right now, because she didn’t think she was strong enough. She looked back at Adora who was smiling at her and they started to dance together.

Catra had been so caught up in just holding Adora’s hand that she hadn’t even realized that Celia had let go of her other one to tend to the pan of carne asada. _I fucking knew it! How is she so sneaky?_ Catra thought, but then she was distracted by Adora grabbing her other hand. Catra looked back at her and couldn’t help but smile. Adora was such a bad dancer, but she was trying her best. They danced in silence for a few minutes, while Celia was still heating up the meat and checking on the corn in the toaster oven, and Catra knew that one of them would have to speak up eventually, but she didn’t want to be the first one.

“This is fun…” Adora shyly spoke up. _Oh, thank god_. Catra thought as she let out an exhale, she didn’t know she had been holding in. She was grateful that Adora spoke up first.

“Yeah, I guess it kind of is…” Catra responded, but she could only focus on was Adora’s lips when she spoke.

_I should tell here. I really **need** to tell her about what happened. But I can’t right now. Not while my abuela is here. Maybe later? But when?_ Catra was pulled from her thoughts when Adora spoke up again.

“So, uh… if your grandma is sleeping in your room tonight and you don’t want to sleep on the couch…” Adora spoke hesitantly.

_Holy shit. Where did that come from?! We’ve barely spoken to each other in two weeks and she offers me her bed? Maybe she does miss me as much as I miss her._ But, Catra responded with: “Yeah, I think I’m good with the couch.”

“You sure?” Adora asked. She sounded kind of disappointed.

“Yep.”

“Okay.”

“¡La comida está lista!” Celia interrupted them.

The girls separated and grabbed a large plate to help with finishing up the food. Adora was in charge of building the tacos and Catra was responsible for making the elote. Celia was currently heating up the tortillas on the portable stove burner and handed them to Adora who filled them with the carne asada, before placing them on the plate. Catra watched them work together as she smeared the corn with mayo before rolling them in cotija cheese and dusting with chili powder. She couldn’t help but sneak a few mouthfuls of cheese as she was preparing the elote. It was just so tempting!

Once the last tortilla was filled, Celia handed Catra and Adora plates to fill with whatever food them wanted. Adora started out with three tacos, topped with pico, cheese and cilantro, and one stick of elote. Catra decided to go with two tacos, topped with guacamole and cheese, and she picked up one elote too. They both silently sat down at the island barstools and before eating. Catra began with her elote, of course, and by the time she finished that Adora had already downed her three tacos.

Catra couldn’t help but giggle slightly as Adora started eating her elote.

“What?” She asked with her mouth half full.

“Nothing, you’re just a really messy eater.” Catra said with a grin.

“Is there a non-messy way to eat Mexican street corn?” Adora questioned.

Catra shrugged, but then gestured to her body. “I didn’t get anything on me.”

Adora rolled her eyes with a smile before going back to her elote and Catra started on her tacos. Catra could tell that Celia was quietly observing them during their dinner. She was planning something else, but Catra just didn’t know what yet. They finished their meals and Adora ended up eating three more tacos and Catra ate one more elote and another taco too.

The girls moved to the couch as Celia cleaned up the kitchen. She insisted on doing so and that was really weird to Catra too. She had always been taught to help clean up after a family dinner, especially in the elders where the ones who had cooked. _Is this part of her plan? Hmmmm… _Catra thought. But, she kind of felt bad for not helping with cleanup.

Catra and Adora sat in silence on the couch watching whatever miscellaneous cable show they could find while her abuela cleaned up. They kept sneaking glances at one another as the watched tv for a good ten minutes, before Celia called out to her from the kitchen.

“Rina, también tengo una sorpresa especial para ti.” Celia said. _A surprise? What kind of surprise would she have for me?_ Catra thought.

Catra twisted her body, so she could look over the back of the couch and noticed her abuela pull out a plastic bag filled with some sort of mix. It looked familiar… and then Catra remembered the late-night snack that her abuela would cook up for her and her cousins during family visits.

“Churros?!” Catra exclaimed. She honestly couldn’t recall the last time she’s had them.

“Si.” Celia answered.

“YES!” Catra shouted.

She literally bounced up and down on the couch like a little kid filled with excitement, until she heard Adora speak.

“I love cheer-os!” Adora cheered.

“What did you say?” Catra asked with a smile on her face.

“I said, I love cheer-os?” Adora repeated in a hesitant tone this time.

“Churros.” Catra stated, trying to correct her pronunciation.

“That’s what I said. Cheer-os.” She still said it wrong.

“No, it’s churrrrrrrros.” Catra practically purred.

“Cheer-os.” Adora repeated.

“Adora, you need to roll you R’s.” She continued to smilie.

“What?” She questioned.

“Roll you R’s. Like this rrrrrrrrrr.” Catra now purred.

“Eeeerrrr. Tttthhhh. Hhhhhh.” Adora failed miserably.

Catra hysterically laughed and Celia just smiled at them from the kitchen as she prepared the churro mix while she heated up oil in a pan.

“Okay…okay…Let me see if I can help you.” Catra scooted closer to Adora and placed her hands on either side of her face. She then pushed her hands together effectively squishing Adora’s cheeks together and scrunching up her lips. She could feel her face heating up under her hands, but she tried to ignore it.

“Try again.” Catra stated.

“Rrrrrrr.” Adora’s eyes widened as Catra removed her hands. “Oh my god it worked!”

“I knew it would.” Catra said with a smile.

Catra missed this, she really did, and she wished that things could just go back to normal without having to talk about what happened. She knew that they would have to eventually, but just didn’t know how to approach the subject. Catra looked away from Adora and turned her body so that she was no longer facing her. She felt the couch shifting as her roommate moved back towards her.

“Just talk to me, please.” Adora pleaded as she reached out and took a hold of Catra’s right hand with a gentle squeeze.

“I…uh…I don’t…” She stuttered.

“Catra.” Adora coaxed.

She was scared. Catra really didn’t want to have this conversation right now and she felt her heartbeat picking up and her palms were getting clammy. She became defensive and pushed Adora’s hand away from her.

“Adora, don’t you get it?!” She said harshly. “I don’t want to talk to you!”

She immediately regretted her words we she saw the expression on Adora’s face. She looked absolutely devastated and there were tears in her eyes waiting to be released. She stood up from the couch and looked at Catra one last time before speaking to her.

“Whatever Catra.” Adora said before she stormed off to her room and slammed the door behind her.

“Adora! Wait!” She called out.

But it was too late.

“Well that could have gone better…” Catra droned.

“Ustedes son dos desastres.” Celia said as she shook her head from left to right in disapproval. _Yes abuela. I know we are disasters…_

Celia finished frying the churros and she rolled them in cinnamon sugar while they were still hot. She brought a few over to Catra, while she was still on the couch and then moved towards Adora’s room. _What is she doing?_ Catra thought. Celia knocked on Adora’s door and it slowly opened. Catra saw Adora peek her head out and she smiled when she realized it was Celia. _She was hoping it would’ve been me, wasn’t she?_ Catra was feeling really guilty now.

Celia extended her hand that had the cup churros in it and Adora readily took them from her.

“Thank you.” Adora said to Celia.

“De nada.” Celia replied and started to walk back to the living room before she sat down on the couch next to Catra. Adora glanced at Catra briefly and she looked like she had been crying. She shut her door again. _I really fucked up this time…_ She thought as she watched tv.

Celia and Catra enjoyed their time on the couch together, but it was starting to get late. Catra yawned and Celia mimicked her. _We should probably get to sleep soon_. She thought. _Let’s see if Adora was right about her assumptions of were my abuela will be sleeping._

“¿Dónde planeas dormir esta noche?” Catra asked her abuela where she would be sleeping.

“¡Tu cama por supuesto!” _So, she does want to sleep in my bed. Great! Let’s see if I can convince her otherwise._

“¡¿Qué?!” Catra pretended to be shocked.

“Soy una mujer mayor, no voy a domir en el sofá.” _Alright so she’s for sure not sleeping on the couch._ Catra thought during her abuela’s rant. “¡Pensé que te criamos mejor que eso! Trata a tus mayores con respeto.” Celia sternly said. _No need to get so heated about this abuela._

“Ok, ok. Mi cuarto está por allá. Póngase cómoda.” Catra pointed to her room and told Celia to make herself comfortable.

“Gracias Rina.” Celia thanked Catra before picking her bags and walking into Catra’s room. Thankfully, her room was cleaner than usual so her abuela didn’t complain about that, and as she was settling in, Catra pulled a few spare sheets, blankets and pillows from her closet and placed them on the couch before returning to say goodnight to her abuela after changing into her pjs.

“Buenas noches abuela.”

“Buenas noches.” Celia replied. “Y Catra?” She stopped in her tracks, completely thrown off by the usage of her preferred nickname.

“Hm?” She responded.

“Necesitas hablar con ella.” Celia stated in a direct tone of voice.

“I know I need to talk to her…” Catra replied before leaving her room and closing the door behind her.

* * *

With her abuela essentially taking over her room and sleeping in her bed tonight, Catra’s only plausible option was to sleep on the couch. She was decidedly too old to share a bed with any of her relatives, and honestly, she wanted to give Celia her own space after cooking for them all day. And since Adora was mad at her, she obviously couldn’t take her up on that offer from earlier.

But before she set up her ‘bed’ for the night, Catra noticed that Adora’s bedroom door was slightly cracked open. It definitely wasn’t like that a few minutes ago and honestly Catra didn’t even hear her open the door. It was still weird having Adora’s door mostly closed in the first place. It was always wide open and Catra could usually see Adora sleeping when she got a late-night snack from the kitchen in the early hours of the day.

_Maybe she left it like that on purpose? As an invitation of sorts? I should talk to her, but she’s mad at me right now._ Catra thought before releasing a sigh.

She turned her attention back to the couch and lined it with the blankets and pillows that she had grabbed from her room. Catra made a little nest for herself and she felt pretty cozy as she tucked herself in for the night. She laid down on her right side to face the tv, but that’s was not a comfortable position, so she switched to her left side, but that doesn’t work either. Catra then tried to lay on her stomach, usually her most comfortable position, but for some reason, she just can’t get comfortable.

_Ugh! This couch is so uncomfortable! Why can’t I just fall asleep!_ Catra internally raged.

But, deep down she knew exactly why she couldn’t get comfortable. The guilt from her conversation with Adora earlier was eating away at her. She never intended to snap at Adora like that and she was haunted by the fact that she had made her cry. Catra tossed and turned on the couch, but nothing she did helped. It also wasn’t a coincidence that where her head was right now was on the side of the couch that Adora usually sat on. She would get wafts of her sent from the couch and it was comforting, but also a reminder of what she needed to do.

Her battle with the couch goes on for about a half hour before Catra decided to get up and do something she should have done a while ago. She swallowed her pride and set her stubbornness aside as she got up off the couch, with a blanket wrapped around her, and walked down the hallway to Adora’s room. She pushed the door open a little so she could stand in between her room and the living room.

“Adora?” She whispered from the doorway not sure if she was asleep or not.

“Yeah?” Adora responded as she leaned up slightly to look at her.

_How am I going to phrase this?_ Catra thought. _Can I sleep in your bed? No, too forward. The couch isn’t as enjoyable when I’m not laying on top of you? No, too awkward. I miss you and our closeness? Definitely not. Hmmmm…_

Catra decided to go with, “The couch is like super uncomfortable…” _God, I’m such an idiot!_

“And?” Adora replied.

“And…” _Why is this so hard!_ Catra screamed internally. “And…your bed…is available?”

“Not too sure what you’re trying to get at Catra.” Adora said flatly.

_She’s gonna make me say it, isn’t she?_

“Look, can I just sleep with you!” _That definitely came out wrong._ “Uh, I mean… can I just sleep in here, with you?” She was blushing from embarrassment now, thankfully it was too dark in here for Adora to see.

“Hm. Thought you didn’t want to.” Her tone was still cold.

_Why is she being so difficult? I know I pissed her off earlier… but goodness!_

“I changed my mind.” Catra said shyly.

“Okay.” Adora responded bluntly as she laid back down.

“Okay to what?” She questioned.

“I don’t know, you decide.”

Taking that as somewhat of a go ahead to proceed. Catra walked into Adora’s room and towards the left side of her bed. She kept her eyes on Adora the whole time to see if she would do or say anything else, but sadly, she didn’t do anything but lay there. Catra sat down on top of covers and laid down on her right side facing away from Adora. She pulled the blanket that she had brought in with her tightly around her body. Catra still couldn’t fall asleep and she could tell that Adora wasn’t asleep either by the way she was breathing. But she pretended not to notice.

“Adora, are you still awake?” She whispered.

“Yes.”

“Can we talk?” Catra asked shyly.

“So now you want to talk?” Adora was definitely still mad. “What do you intend on talking about?”

“Things…”

“Things, really?” Adora let out a sad laugh and Catra felt the bed shifting. Adora was now laying on her right side facing Catra’s back. “Hm. Let me help you out. We could talk about how you left without saying goodbye. Or, we could talk about how you have been ignoring me for the past week. Maybe we could start with the fact that you yelled at me earlier?”

Every sentence Adora said felt like a punch in the stomach to Catra. _Wow, she really is upset… might as well rip the band aid off and get straight to the point. _

“You kissed me.” Catra said barely audible over Adora’s ranting.

“What?” She responded and her tone instantly changed into something lighter.

Catra rolled over on to her left side to face Adora. “When we got home from the party, you kissed me, and I was really confused. You were drunk, so I didn’t think it was sincere, which caused me to panic, which lead me to leaving without saying goodbye… I didn’t know how to tell you, so I kept avoiding you. I know that was the wrong thing to do, but you know how I get with confrontation… and I’m…I’m really sorry Adora.”

Adora just stared back at Catra for a long and intense minute. Her lack of a response was making Catra really nervous. “Well, say something! Please!” Catra half shouted. She didn’t want Celia to hear any of this.

“I…uh…” Adora started. “I mean, I had my suspicions.”

It was Catra’s turn to be confused. “What?”

“Well, when I woke up the morning after the party, I had lipstick on my mouth, and it was the same color you had been wearing that night. I put two and two together, but I didn’t say anything about it either. I’m sorry too Catra. For everything. I never meant to make you feel uncomfortable…”

“Uncomfortable?” Catra laughed to herself. “I actually enjoyed it…” She breathed out. _Shit! I did not mean to say that out loud!_ She stared back at Adora with wide eyes and pursed lips.

“Wait, what?” Adora quirked a brow at her.

“What?” Catra was panicking on the inside. _She definitely heard me. Fuck!_

“What, did you just say?” Adora still looked very confused.

“Nothing…?” Catra responded as she tried to remain calm.

“Catra.” Adora said sternly and Catra scrunched up her face.

“I said…thatIenjoyedit.” Catra thought that if she said that quick enough maybe Adora would drop it.

“That you enjoyed it?”

“Yes…?” Catra reluctantly admitted.

“Oh.”

_Oh? WHAT THE FUCK IT THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN?!_ Catra was full on starting to have a panic attack right now. She felt her heart rate speed up, her breathing was rapid, and she dug her fingers into Adora’s sheets.

Catra could tell that Adora was starting to notice her current condition, even threw the darkness of her room. She moved closer and grabbed Catra’s hand. “Hey, Catra. You alright?”

“Am I alright?! FUCK NO! I literally just admitted to you that I enjoyed kissing you, and all you have to say is oh?” Catra was squeezed Adora’s hand firmly.

“Well…it’s not like I remember anything from that night.” Adora looked away. “But… I would do it again… If you let me! That is…” She looked back at Catra.

_Did she really say what I think she said?_ Catra thought.

“You want to kiss me?”

“I mean…yeah? I’ve wanted to for a long time.” Adora hesitantly confessed.

“What do you mean a long time?” Catra was confused again.

“I’ve had a crush on you for a few years now, Catra.” Adora admitted.

“WHAT?!” Catra shouted and quickly covered her mouth with her left hand. Celia probably heard that if she wasn’t already asleep.

“I don’t know why you’re so surprised. Apparently, everyone thinks it’s pretty obvious…” Adora said. “I thought you knew too. That’s why you always tease me and stuff.”

Catra laughed. “Oh, my fucking god, Adora! I’ve literally had a crush on you since high school. I just thought you didn’t feel the same way!”

They shared a good laugh before looking at each other and realizing that they were still holding hands.

“We’re both so stupid, you know that?” Adora joked.

“Yeah…” Catra agreed.

Now that their feelings for one another were out in the open, the atmosphere around them seemed to change. When Catra first entered Adora’s bedroom, it was cold and distant, but now it was warm and comforting. And that wasn’t only because Catra was under a blanket.

Catra just stared back at Adora and scanned her face trying to read her thoughts, without actually saying anything. To anyone who didn’t know Adora well enough, she would appear to be completely relaxed and content. But for Catra, someone who has known Adora her whole life, the crease in her brow and the tightness in her jaw meant she was thinking of something.

“Can I kiss you?” Adora asked in a cautious tone.

_Oh, shit! She really just asked me that didn’t she? ‘Bout fucking time!_

“Thought you’d never ask.” Catra said through a smirk. You could say that her confidence was back too.

Adora started to move closer to Catra as she reached out her left hand placed it on her cheek. Her touch was electrifying and soothing at the same time. She continued to move closer to Catra as she propped herself up on her right elbow to get a better angle. Catra practically melted into her touch when Adora was so close that she felt her breath ghost across her lips. She was about to close her eyes before she felt Adora stop moving.

Adora had hesitated for some reason. “You’re sure this is okay?” She asked.

Catra was kind of shocked. _How much more convincing does this girl need._ “Adora?”

“Hm?”

“Just kiss me already.”

Catra pulled in Adora by the back of her neck, and when their lips met this time, it was so much different from when Adora was drunk. Was it still uncoordinated? Yes. But it was better than anything Catra could have ever imagined. _Where has this been all my life?!_ She thought as she felt Adora push harder against her. _Definitely not as practiced as I thought she would have been though._ Catra couldn’t help but laugh, which forced her to break away from the kiss.

Adora looked down at her with a confused expression. “Why are you laughing?”

“Cause you’re a really bad kisser Adora.” Catra joked.

“What?!” Adora was kind of offended.

“And no attempt at tongue this time? I’m a little disappointed.” Catra teased.

“WHAT?!” Adora shouted way too loudly for this time of night.

“Shhhhh! Don’t worry…” Catra playfully poked at Adora’s forehead with her index finger. “…We’ll have time to work on that later.”

“Uhhh…” Adora really didn’t know how to respond to that.

“Now, come on we should really try to get some sleep. I think it’s already after midnight.” Catra said as she started to shift her body so she could lay on her stomach.

“You can get under the covers by the way… if you want.” Adora spoke up just as Catra was starting to get comfortable.

_More like you want me to._ Catra thought with a smile on her face.

She contemplated her options. Either sleep under a thin fleece blanket that she had brought in here or get under the covers with Adora, which would be nice and toasty. The answer was obvious. Catra got off the bed, peeled back the covers and slipped in. It was so much warmer in there and she could feel Adora’s leg brush up against her as she began to settle down.

They both quickly drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Catra was the first one to wake up in the morning. It was honestly the best night’s sleep she had gotten in well over a month. She was still laying on her stomach, but she felt a weight draped across her right side, across her butt, and along her left thigh. _What in the world?_ She thought as she propped herself up slightly to turn her head to left in order to get a look at Adora. She was still sleeping, which was odd because she’s always the first one to wake up, and from the looks of it she was quite comfortable.

While laying on her back, Adora had managed to drape her right leg over Catra’s body while simultaneously managing to take over the majority of the bed. Her arms were raised above her head too and Catra couldn’t help but think how cute she looked right now, despite how badly she wanted to get up. _Hmmm… let’s see… how can I wake her up?_ She thought as she devised some way to wake up Adora.

“Adora?” She called out, deciding to keep her first approach simple.

Nothing. _Okay… Maybe I need to be more annoying?_ Catra tried to turn further onto her left side, but was prevented from doing so because of Adora’s leg, so she propped herself up on her elbows and blew air onto the right side of her face which caused a few stray hairs to tickle her cheek. This got Adora to stir some, and she let out a noise, but she was still not awake.

_Ugh! Why is she such a heavy sleeper?! _But then she smiled as a devious planned formed in her head. _Alright Adora, you asked for this. _She stuck her right index finger in her mouth, making sure to gather as much spit as possible, before removing it and sticking it directly Adora’s right ear. The sensation from the wet willy caused Adora to jolt from her slumber and Catra quickly removed her finger before Adora looked at her.

“Ew! Catra! What the hell?!” Adora shouted as she wiped the spit from her ear.

“Morning.” Catra said calmly, completely ignoring Adora’s reaction.

“Do you know how unsanitary that is?!” Adora was still freaking out. “Why are you so nasty?!”

Catra just smiled at her. “Not my fault that you can’t wake up like a normal person. Plus, I can’t move because of your leg. I had to wake you up somehow.”

“What?” Adora said as she looked down and noticed that under the covers, her right leg was indeed slung over Catra and locking her into place. “Oh, sorry.” She apologized as she moved her leg from Catra’s body.

“No need to apologize princess. It was kind of nice.” Catra said as she flipped onto her back and sat up in the bed before stretching. She could feel Adora’s eyes on her the entire time and she smiled at her when she turned to look down at her, but Adora had that crease in her brow that she always gets when she’s contemplating something. _Oh, no. She’s thinking again._ Catra thought as she observed Adora sit up in the bed too.

“So, can we go over what exactly happened that night? If you’re comfortable with that… I just really want to know where I went wrong, so that it never happens again.” Adora said in a guilty tone.

_She is too good for this world._ Catra thought. _Even if she didn’t do anything wrong, she apologizes for it._

“Adora, it really wasn’t your fault… you were drunk, and people do stupid shit under the influence of alcohol. And obviously when your drunk it breaks some kind of restraint that you have over your emotions, just like everyone else.” She said sweetly.

“Okay, but I still want to know what I did…” Adora still sounded kind of guilty.

“Like everything?” Catra reluctantly asked.

“Yes.”

“Okay…”

Catra tried her best to explain to Adora the course of events that happened that night of the house party. She explained to her that Scorpia carried to her to the car (which she wasn’t happy about, but she was more upset of the picture Catra took of it) and what went on during the car ride (including the kisses and the run in with officer Weaver).

“So, I licked your face, almost threw up in my car and kissed your wrist from the backseat?” Adora questioned, making sure she was understanding everything correctly because it almost seemed unbelievable.

“Yep and we’re just getting started.” Catra said with a smile as she raised and lowered her eyebrows playfully. But throughout this conversation, she had been thinking of a plan that would help turn this situation into something more fun.

“Oh, god.” Adora said as she buried her face into her hands.

“Do me a favor?” Catra asked and Adora peeped through her fingers to look at her wearily.

“Okay.” She agreed anyway.

“I’m going to pretend to be you from that night and you pretend to be me.” She said with a smile on her face. It was all part of Catra’s plan.

“Really?” Adora questioned.

“Yes, if I had to live through this once, you’re going to live through it too.” Catra added a little guilt so that Adora would agree to what she wanted to do.

“Alright.” She agreed.

They both got off the bed and as Catra started to put her master plan in to motion. _This is going to be fun!_ Flustering Adora was one of Catra’s many talents and she knew that what was about to go down, would certainly get her worked up. Plus taking a bad memory and making it into something comical would be beneficial to her mental health too.

“Okay, so, when we walked through your door after just getting home, I sat you down on your bed like this…” Catra sat down on the right side of Adora’s bed. “And you were like ‘why is it so hot it here?!’” She mocked Adora’s voice in a whiny-squeaky tone. “Which somehow resulted in you taking off your sweater, before I went to get us some water.”

“Uh huh. Also, I don’t sound like that.” Adora said as she crossed her arms over her chest.

“Yeah you do.” Catra winked at her and Adora rolled her eyes. “Anyway, then when I came back from the kitchen you had taken your tank off and were just chillin’ in here with just your jeans and bra on.”

“Oh god.” She buried her face in her hands again. “So that’s why I woke up topless…”

“Yep. And then you said come here…” Catra gestured for Adora to come closer which she did. “…so I was standing right there (she point to the floor) and you looked up at me and said that I was beautiful.”

“Which is true.” Adora said.

Catra could help but blush a little. _Wait! She’s the one that’s supposed to get flustered not me! Hmmm…we need to change that._ “And then you did this…” Catra reached out and took hold of Adora’s pajama shorts by the elastic band a little too roughly and she got the response that she wanted. Adora gasped slightly as she was pulled in between Catra’s legs.

“I…uh…” It was clear that Adora did not know how to function right now.

“Feeling okay Adora?” Catra asked through as smirk as she looked up at her.

“Yep. I’m good. Continue.” Adora responded. Clearly enjoying every second of this.

“Alright, so then you did this…” Catra took her hands off of Adora’s hips and snaked them around her sides to the small of her back before she started pulling forward.

“What are you…” Adora started before being interrupted by Catra.

“That’s exactly what I said Adora!” She smiled at her. “See, you do make a great Catra.”

“Shut up.” Adora rolled her eyes at her.

“Never.” Catra said as she jerked the two of them towards the bed.

They landed on the bed with an umph, and with Adora now on top of Catra, let’s just say they were both pretty captivated with one another right now. Catra couldn’t help but mentally laugh at the state Adora was in. _Ha! Look at her face! Oh my god she’s such a nervous gay!_ Also, t_his is a lot more fun when she’s able to comprehend what’s happening. _Catra was broken from her thoughts when Adora spoke up.

“Okay, what happened next?” Adora sounded way too eager right now, but Catra thought it was hilarious.

“Well, I had my arms like this…” She placed Adora’s forearms on either side of her heads. “And then while I was trying to process the whole situation while you were looking up like me like I was the best thing in the world, I had an epiphany that you were trying to kiss me when we were studying for you nutrition final.”

“Yeah… I guess that did happen.” Adora admitted.

“Oh! And this was also when you were cupping my face…” Catra brought her hands up to Adora cheeks and she could immediately feel how heated they were. “So, after a few seconds of thumb stroking over my cheeks, you basically pulled my head forward and kissed me, before I panicked and ran anyway… Sorry for that again…” Catra looked away.

“No need to be sorry Catra, honestly given how quickly this escalated, I would have freaked out too.” There was sincerity in Adora’s voice.

Still cupping Adora’s face, Catra smiled up at her before speaking. “See! I** knew** this role reverse would help you see my point of view.”

“Are we going to…?” Adora droned on while looking at Catra’s lips.

Already fully understanding what Adora was insinuating Catra decided to tease her. “Are we going to what Adora?”

“Well technically we didn’t finish the whole role-playing scene…” She looked away nervously.

“How so?” Catra asked as she moved her left hand from Adora’s cheek to the back of her neck.

Adora looked back at her and shook her from left to right a little. “Why do you always have to make things so difficult?”

“Still don’t know what you’re talking about Adora.” She said as she stroked the baby hairs on the nape of Adora’s neck. She could feel the goosebumps rising on her skin and the slight shiver that racked her body.

“Dammit Catra! Just kiss me!” Adora demanded.

“Oooo so you cuss when you’re mad and when you’re worked up?” Catra half shrugged her shoulders while looking directly at her. “I guess that’s good to know for the future.”

“What…?”

Adora had no time to complete her sentence as Catra pulled her in for a kiss. It was just as good as last nights, maybe even better since they were both fully awake now. She couldn’t help but focus on how soft her lips were this time. _How are her lips so velvety?_ She thought._ I guess she does use a lot of chapstick…?_ Adora began to push harder against her._ This is really nice, but let’s see how much of a flirt I can be. _Catra brushed her tongue across Adora’s bottom lip and she felt her freeze briefly before she noticed Adora starting to part her own lips. But being the tease that she was, Catra started to pull away from the kiss just as they were really getting into it.

She opened her eyes and stared at Adora, who stared back at her.

“Wait? That’s it?” Adora said in confused tone of voice that matched her facial expression.

“You’re the one who want to recreate the scene to a tee, Adora.” She started pushing Adora off of her. “Plus, I think my legs are starting to go numb.” Catra got off the bed and began to stretch some of the stiffness out of her limbs while Adora just stared at her trying to process what just happened.

“You’re really mean, you know that right?” Adora sounded really disappointed.

“Oh, I am well aware.” Catra said as she moved closer to Adora again before dragging her index finger along the underside of Adora’s jaw and holding it under her chin for a moment. “Anyway, I should probably go check up on my abuela.” She smiled at Adora, who just sat there on the bed, obviously wanting more, but Catra knew she could wait.

“Okay, I’ll be out in a few.” Adora said to her as Catra turned towards the bedroom door to open it.

* * *

When Catra emerged from Adora’s room she saw Celia standing in the kitchen fixing some breakfast. She tried to walk towards her bedroom as quietly as possible, but Celia apparently had supersonic hearing because she turned to face Catra, just as she was about to enter her room. When Celia looked at her, she had a huge knowing smile on her face. _Oh god, I already she’s gonna gloat about how she was right._ Catra thought as she let out a sigh.

“Buenos dias abuela.” She greeted her, already fully knowing what conversation was about to go down. And even though she wouldn’t admit it, Catra genuinely appreciated what her abuela had done for her and Adora’s relationship during her unexpected visit.

It was nice to have things back to normal and Catra was definitely excited for the future.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How was that?! I hope that this makes up for what I did to you guys last chapter lol. We are now back to good vibes and the girls are happy again, just like they deserve to be! Anyway, this is the only chapter that Spanish will be heavily used in, so if you didn’t like what I did, you won’t have to put up with it in future chapters.
> 
> Next Chapter: Catra gets sick. Or, Adora forces her to go to the doctor and hilarity ensues.
> 
> Update: October 30, 2019 (I'm really going to try to stick to this date, but it might be a little later since idk how much I'll be able to write while my family is here.)
> 
> Question: So, I think we all know where this is headed eventually, and I believe that it would be kind of unfair to you guys to build up all this sexual tension between Adora and Catra and not have it be resolved. My question to you is… how to you guys feel about me adding smut to this story? It wouldn’t be for a couple of chapters, but I had originally planned to raise the rating on this fic in the future anyway. Let me know your thoughts in the comments!
> 
> Follow me on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/simplyabsolute1) and/or [Tumblr](https://simplyabsolute.tumblr.com/)
> 
> Art:  
[Catra, Celia and her Mom](https://twitter.com/simplyabsolute1/status/1222637991635582976) by @mistbix


	7. Sick Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adora notices that something is up when Catra returns from class looking worse for the wear. After a night’s rest and seeing no progress in Catra’s condition, Adora finally convinces her to go to the doctor. There, Catra gets checked out before they return to the apartment and Adora gets to live out one of her childhood fantasies.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remember how I said I wasn't going to update early? Well, I lied :) There's also a total chapter count for this story now too. That's right, I will be wrapping this fic up at chapter ten, because it just makes sense chronologically, but trust me these last few chapters are going to be great!
> 
> Also, what I learned from the last chapter is that you guys are thirsty as fuck lol. I hear ya loud and clear about what you want me to add. Oh! And I just wanted to thank you guys again for the amazing show of support that you give this fic. Honestly, ever comment and kudo gives me life. I love you guys so much! Please enjoy this chapter!
> 
> Timeline: February

Adora’s POV: A month ago.

It had been two weeks since Adora and Catra had finally admitted their feelings for one another, thanks to Catra’s abuela Celia, and things were looking good. They were much more relaxed around one another and their overall mood seemed positive. So positive in fact, that their friends were kind of shock by their behavior when they returned to classes a few days ago. They were suspicious of what might be going on between the two, but the girls had decided not to tell their friends just yet, since their relationship was still somewhat undefined. Were they officially dating? Or were they still figuring things out? They would have to discuss that at a later date, but right now, there were much more important things to excited about.

It was January 19th. The Sunday after the first couple weeks of the spring semester and it just so happened to be Adora’s birthday. It was still dark outside when she heard light footsteps trailing up the hallway towards her room. The only reason that Adora was half awake right now was because she had become accustomed to Catra sneaking into her bed in the early hours of the morning, which was exactly what was happening right now. Or so she thought.

She heard the footsteps stop before she was blinded by her bedroom light being turned on.

“HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!” Catra shouted.

Adora cracked open her eyes to look at her. “Geez, Catra… What time is it?”

“Two forty-three, exactly when you were born!” She exclaimed.

“Ugh! Why do you do this every year?” Adora asked as she sat up in her bed and rubbed her eyes.

“Why do you ask what time it is every year when you already know the answer?” Catra joked.

“Fair point…”

“Now, come on! I want you to open your present!” Adora could feel the enthusiasm coming from Catra’s voice.

“Right now?” Adora questioned lazily. She was still half asleep.

“Right now!” Catra cheered as she gestured for Adora to come over.

Adora got out of bed and followed Catra into the living room. There, she saw a long wrapped rectangular box laying on the couch. It was probably almost five feet long in length and it was pretty wide too. Adora had no idea what could possibly be in it. She approached it carefully, looking at Catra for reassurance who just stood there with her hands clasped together over her chest with excitement radiating from her. _Whatever this present is, it must be really good… Or really bad… but probably good… right?_ Adora thought.

She squatted down in front of the couch before running a hand along the underside of the box and lifting it. Whatever it was, it seemed kind of heavy, but Adora decided not to question anything as she began to peel away at the wrapping paper to expose the cardboard box underneath. After the paper was cleared out of the way, she started to open up the box lengthwise. The way it opened was weird to Adora, since it was almost like it was meant to present something when open. She finally lifted the top of the box and when she saw what her present was, she didn’t believe her eyes. It was long, metallic blue, gold and it was incredible.

“YOU GOT ME A SWORD?!?!” Adora shouted.

“Yep.” Catra coolly replied.

“OH MY GOD CATRA!!!!!” Adora continued to scream as she lifted the sword out of the box.

“Do you like it?” She questioned even if the answer was already clear.

“Do I like it? I LOVE IT!!!” She said with a gleam in her eyes. This was by far the best birthday present she’s ever gotten.

Adora sat the sword back down on the couch before going over to Catra and tightly hugging her. “Thank you.” She said as she attempted to pull away from the hug, but Catra keep her arms wrapped around Adora’s waist. She was obviously waiting for a different thank you of sorts. Adora smiled down at her before cupping the right side of her face and kissing her. It was still weird kissing Catra, but a good weird. It almost seemed unbelievable to Adora that she was actually allowed to kiss Catra now, and honestly that made her the happiest person in the world.

Now free of Catra’s grip, Adora rushed back over to the couch and picked the sword up in her left hand, before running her right index finger along the length of the blade. She was completely mesmerized by the sword right now. Adora had wanted a sword ever since she was a kid, but her parents wouldn’t let her have one in the house because ‘they were too dangerous’ and with all her spare money going into school right now, she couldn’t afford one on her own. Which made her that much more grateful that Catra got this for her.

_She must have been saving up for this for a long time._ She thought. _She is truly amazing…_

Adora kept examining the sword in front of her and it was beautiful. The blade was a metallic blue that shined brightly in any angle in which the light hit it. It also had a cool geometric engraving towards the end of the blade too. But the handle… the handle was spectacular! That’s where the craftsmanship could really be seen. The hilt of the sword consisted of a cross-guard that surrounded the blade like beautiful filigree on a picture frame and the design of the grip fit comfortably in her hand. The whole hilt also seemed to be gold gilded and had an intriguing stone in the middle of it on each side. Adora decided that a sword like this needed a name. _Any cool sword needs a name, right? What can I name it…? Hmmm…_ Adora thought before Catra interrupted her.

“What are you thinking about?” She asked and Adora was still impressed that Catra could always tell when she was thinking of something.

“What to name my sword.” Adora said like the answer was obvious.

“Dork.” Catra teased, but it was clear to Adora that she loved the idea. Her smile gave her away.

_Name… name… Sword of Power? No. Sword of Destruction? Nuh huh. Sword of Friendship? Eh, nah too gay. _Adora continued to think before the answer suddenly popped into her head.

“I’m going to call it the ‘Sword of Protection!’” She moved the sword to her right hand before doing a couple of practice swings. “So, if anyone tries to hurt us, I’ll be able to save the day!”

“God, you’re such a nerd.” Catra said through a giggle.

“A nerd with a sword.” Adora held it in the air before looking at Catra. “What does that make you?”

“The sword nerd’s…” Catra really wanted to say girlfriend, but once again, they haven’t had that discussion and she really didn’t want to just through that label out there just yet. “…damsel in distress?”

“Yes! I will save you m’lady!” Adora rushed over to Catra’s side and wrapped her left arm around her.

“I already regret giving you this sword.” Catra sighed and hung her head low. She was putting on more of an act than anything.

“Fear not! I will protect you!” Adora said dramatically.

“Ugghhhh! Please stop!” Catra playfully demanded, but she made no attempt to move away from her.

“Never!” Adora swung the sword around wildly, pretending to fend off imaginary predators.

They were really enjoying this time together until Adora swung the sword a little too forcefully and it slipped from her grip. The sword fell and clattered on the floor. It made a sound that was way too loud for their quaint apartment at three in the morning. They both looked at each other with gritted teeth and wide eyes in a ‘oh shit’ expression. They did not need to get a noise ordinance ticket a few months before graduation. Adora let go of Catra and picked up the sword off the floor before propping it up against the wall.

“Well… let’s hope that no one calls the police on us.” Adora said.

“Right!” Catra agreed and then she laughed. “Maybe we should have made that our new year’s resolution.”

“Stop having run ins with the police?” Adora asked.

“Exactly.” Catra confirmed.

“Maybe your right.” Adora said through a yawn. “And I think we should be getting back to bed soon.”

Catra yawned too. “Yeah, probably.”

Adora started walking towards her room and she couldn’t help but smile when she heard Catra following behind her. It was nice having someone to snuggle up to in the middle of the night, and the fact that it was Catra, made it even better. As, they continued down the hallway, Adora couldn’t help but think of someone else that shared her same birthday. _I wonder if he’s still up._ She thought. _Probably not but it would be fun to bother him…_ She looked over her shoulder at her before speaking.

“Catra?” Adora called out to her even though she was less than two feet from her.

“What?” She answered from behind.

“Before we go to bed, do you want to call Adam and yell at him too?” She asked.

“I think you already know the answer to that Adora.” Catra responded through a smile.

They climbed into Adora’s bed before dialing her twin brother to wish him a happy birthday. He was pretty pissed that they had woken him up at such an early hour, but honestly, he wouldn’t expect anything less of his sister and Catra. After the phone call, the girls ended up falling asleep side by side. It was already one of the best birthday’s Adora has ever had and it was just the beginning of the day.

* * *

Present: Almost mid-February

Currently, Adora was sitting on the couch in the living room watching some stupid soap opera, before she had to leave for class. Today happened to be a Friday, and that meant she had to go to that one really late class that only met once a week, which also meant that it lasted over three hours. It was the only class she dreaded going to, because it was so inconvenient to her schedule, but she had to take it if she wanted to graduate this semester.

She had already gone to her two morning classes and she had about two more hours until this six o’clock class. Luckily, she wouldn’t be bored for too long because Catra would be home soon. And almost as if on cue, Adora heard the sound of keys jingling outside of their front door. After a few seconds of wrestling with their lock that always managed to stick somehow, Catra walked through the door. She dropped her backpack on the floor and took of her jacket.

“Hey, Catra. How were classes.” Adora greeted her.

“Hey, Adora.” She sniffed. “They were okay, I guess. I did have my animation class today which was fun.”

Catra seemed a lot less enthusiastic than she usually is when she gets home. Adora examined her demeanor as she walked into the kitchen to get something to drink. She was slightly hunched over and her movements seemed sluggish. Adora had noticed something yesterday too, but it seemed more obvious today.

“Catra?” Adora called out to her from the couch.

“Hm?” She answered as she drank from a cup of water.

“Are you feeling okay?” There was concern in Adora’s voice.

“I feel fine.” She lied. “Why?”

“I don’t know you seem…off.” Adora got up from the couch and walked into the kitchen to join her. “Do you feel sick?”

“Sick?” Catra acted offended, trying to play off Adora’s suspicions. “There’s no way that I’m sick Adora, I feel amazing.”

Adora approached her and raised her right arm and placed her wrist against Catra’s forehead trying to approximate her temperature. Catra just stared back at her the whole time, wondering how she could respond if Adora did detect something.

“You feel a little warm…” Adora said as she removed her wrist.

“Weird, maybe it’s just because I’m hot?” She tried to joke but it failed. Catra was however fully aware that Adora was trying to make her admit that she didn’t feel well.

“Catra.” Adora said softly.

“What, Adora?” Catra responded defensively. “There is no way I am getting sick before the weekend. I am not going to let that happen.”

“So, you do feel sick?” Adora questioned as she perked up slightly.

“I didn’t say that!” She argued.

“Catra.” Adora said her name in a stern tone this time.

“Okay, fine! Maybe I do feel a little stuffy and my head hurts…” Catra finally broke. “But that’s no cause for concern.”

“Hmmmm, maybe you’re catching a cold?” Adora pondered. “I think you should take it easy for the rest of the day. Maybe take some aspirin too? It’ll help with the headache and slight fever.”

Catra rolled her eyes. “Thank you Dr. Grayskull for your diagnosis.”

“I’m no doctor, Catra. That’s just common sense.” Adora just stared back at her.

“Yeah, yeah. Whatever.” She brushed Adora off.

“Alright, well I should probably be leaving for my class soon anyway. Traffic sucks on campus this time of day.” Adora moved towards the door and picked up her backpack and keys. “Don’t do anything stupid while I’m gone.”

“No promises.” Catra said as she moved towards where Adora was before stopping directly in front of her.

“What are you doing?” She questioned.

Catra looked away before answering. “I was going to kiss you goodbye?” She said a little unsurely.

“Oh?” Adora quirked a brow and Catra nodded. _She’s never done that before…_ She thought. “But if you’re sick, I don’t want you to kiss me… you know?” Adora tried to say that in the least insulting way as possible.

“Sorry.” Catra said in a mocking tone, obviously not offended in the slightest. “I forgot about how much of a germaphobe you are when people get sick.” She laughed.

Adora ignored Catra’s remarks and opened the front door. “See ya tonight.”

“Bye, Adora. Enjoy your three-hour long class!” Catra called out as she walked out the door.

Adora walked down the stairs of their apartment complex and prayed that Catra would take her advice to rest tonight as she entered her car and drove to her late evening class.

* * *

When Adora got home a little before ten, she found her roommate passed out on her desk. It looked like she had been working on some kind of project based on the papers that were sprawled out around her. She also had some kind of animation program running on her computer and it was playing a loop of a walking cycle. Catra had her arms crossed in front of her and her head was turned to the right so that the left side of her face was smushed against the desk. To Adora, she looked really cute right now, but also very uncomfortable. Adora closed Catra’s laptop before she approached her and attempted to wake her up.

“Catra?” She whispered as she stroked her left hand up and down Catra’s back. She was a much lighter sleeper than Adora was, so she stirred almost instantly.

“Hmmm? Adora?” She slowly began to raise her head from her desk. “What happened?” She also sounded a lot stuffier than she had been a few hours ago.

“I think you feel asleep while working on a project.” Adora responded.

“Uuggghhhh.” Catra groaned as she sat up fully in her chair and rubbed her face to try and wake up, but nothing she did seemed to help. “I think I just need some real rest, instead of sleeping on my desk.”

_She’s so stubborn! _Adora internally fumed. _I said that before I left!_

“That’s literally what I… you know what? You’re right Catra. Get some rest.” Adora was not trying to start an argument with her and she really wanted to get to bed soon too anyway. She turned around and started to walk out of Catra’s room until she heard her speak up again.

“Adora?” She cooed.

“Yeah?” She answered not entirely sure why she sounded so sad.

“Can I sleep in your bed tonight?” Catra asked pitifully.

“Haven’t you been doing that for like the past month already?” Adora quipped as she smiled at her.

Catra blushed. “You know what I mean…” She looked away. “Plus, I usually don’t come into your room until the morning…”

Adora was still smiling as she sighed and gave in. Not like she needed much convincing to begin with, but she appreciated that Catra tried to play innocent. “Alright, come on.” She gestured to her to follow.

“Carry me?” She asked as sweetly as she could.

“Seriously, Catra?” Adora questioned with her hands on her hips.

Catra didn’t verbally respond, all she did was hold out her arms and open and close her hands a few times, like a kid that already knew they were going to get wanted. To Adora, the sight was kind of precious, so obviously she couldn’t say no to that request either.

“Fine.” She said as she moved back to where Catra was sitting before bending down and slinging Catra’s right arms around her neck before scooping her up and turning to exit the bedroom.

“Have I ever told you that it’s kinda hot that you can carry me?” Catra said and she ran her fingers along Adora’s right shoulder.

_So, she still feels well enough to flirt. That’s a good sign, right?_ Adora thought as they exited Catra’s room. “No, I don’t think you have.”

Catra tightened her grip around Adora’s shoulders as they were walking down the hallway to prop herself up a little bit more. “Well it’s true.” She was now dangerously close to Adora’s ear and she felt her own face heating up.

“Good to know.” Adora kept her gaze forward as they continued walking.

By the way Catra had positioned herself in her arms, Adora knew that Catra was planning something. What exactly it was? She didn’t know. But if she was flirting right now, it surely would be something along those lines.

“Hey, Adora?” Catra cooed and Adora could feel her breath fan across her ear and neck. It sent shivers down her spine.

“Hm?” She responded.

Instead of an answer Catra leaned forward and kissed Adora’s neck, right below the ear and near her jawbone. Adora felt her knees get weak and she stumbled a little when they entered her room. This was something new that they haven’t done before and by the way Catra was laughing right now it was the exact bodily response that she wanted.

Adora tried to compose herself before responding. As she set Catra down on the bed she gathered her thoughts and protested. “Hey! I thought I said no kisses!” It didn’t come out as angry as she wanted, but to be fair she was putting up a fake front.

“You did, but you never specified where.” Catra spoke in a sultry tone and added a wink at the end of that sentence for good measure.

Adora rolled her eyes, but she couldn’t help blushing from Catra’s tone of voice. “Ugh! You’re the worst…”

“By the way you responded, I would say that I’m the best.” Catra continued to tease her.

Adora felt her face flush even more. _Why is it so easy for her to fluster me? But I can’t seem to illicit the same reaction from her?_ Adora honestly wished that she was as good at flirting as Catra was. _Maybe I just have to try harder? Or, maybe I need to try something different?_

She decided not to respond to Catra’s remarks, instead she focused her efforts on trying to change the subject. “Well, you make yourself comfortable, I’m going to take a shower.” Adora said as she gathered up her pjs and a change of underwear.

“Have fun.” Catra said as she lay on top of the covers. She pulled out her phone and started scrolling through it. _Have fun? What does she mean by that… oh… ohhhhhhh!_ Her red face darkened even more at that realization, but Adora quickly shook those thoughts from her head as she turned to face her bathroom.

She stepped into her bathroom, shut the door, and turned on her shower for the water to heat up, before stripping herself bare. The thought of having Catra literally less than ten feet away from her right now behind a closed door while she was naked, made her shiver, but she instantly forgot about that when she stepped into the shower. The warm water helped her relax, which cleared her mind simultaneously. Deciding not to wash her hair this time, because she was too tired, she focused her cleaning efforts on her body and thoroughly washed herself. Afterwards, she stepped out of the shower, dried herself off and got dressed into her pjs.

When Adora opened her bathroom door, she saw Catra fast asleep in her bed. She had gotten under the covers and pulled them up tightly under her chin. Her curls splayed across the pillow and her eyelashes brushed against her cheeks. Adora couldn’t help but stare. _Wow. My girlfriend is gorgeous._ She thought. _Wait, girlfriend? We should talk about making things official soon…_

Adora pulled back the covers on her side of the bed and climbed in. She settled down on her back and when she was just about to drift off to sleep when she felt the bed shifting next to her. Catra had moved herself so now she was pressed right up against Adora’s side, before draping her arm across her stomach. In this position, Adora’s right arm was essentially trapped under Catra’s body and she knew she would have to move it if she intended on her arm not going numb. She pulled her arm from underneath Catra who was still sound asleep and lifted it above her own head before resting it on her pillow.

_I’m so getting sick._ Adora thought before feeling the lull of sleep pulling her in again. _But this is too good to say no to…_

* * *

When she awoke in the morning, Catra was still asleep, but they were no longer snuggled up to one another like they had been last night. Instead, Catra was laying on her back next to her and her mouth was slightly parted. She was breathing in short little breaths, but her airways didn’t sound congested, which was a good thing. But this also meant that Catra could no longer breathe through her nose, if she was breathing through her mouth. That was a sign to Adora that Catra was not getting any better.

Adora moved closer to her so she could better examine her condition, because she knew Catra would not be as cooperative with her if she was awake. She noticed the slight gleam of sweat on her forehead, her cheeks were rosy and when Adora stroked the side of her face, her skin felt hot to the touch. _Her fever has definitely gotten worse._ Adora thought as she loomed over Catra’s figure and stared.

“I’m not asleep by the way.” Catra whispered as she peeped open her eyes to look at Adora who nearly jumped out of her skin.

“JESUS CHRIST CATRA!!!!” Adora screamed, still a little startled. “WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT?!”

Catra just laughed, but it quickly turned into a dry coughing fit and she had to clear her throat before talking again. “Because I knew it would be funny.” Her voice was rough, and if she wasn’t sick, Adora might even say she sounded sexy.

“That was **so** not funny!” Adora protested. “You’re an awful person.” She said as she laid back down on her back, head still facing Catra.

“It was. And at least I’m not the one who checks out her roommate while she’s sleeping.” Catra smiled as she turned her head to look at her.

“Psht. I was not checking you out… I was checking on you. Two completely different things.” Adora defended herself until she caught onto what Catra just said. _Did she just call me her roomatate? I thought we were past that already. I’m definitely not going to let that go._ She thought before speaking again. “Also, did you just friendzone me again?”

“Yeah… they’re totally different Adora.” Catra mocked. “And friendzone you? We are still roommates after all.” She joked.

_She’s infuriating. _Adora furrowed her brows, slightly offended that Catra would downplay their relationship like that. “But…”

“But what?” Catra just laid there as she smirked at Adora.

She rolled her eyes. “Catra, you literally sleep in my bed every night and you kiss me now.”

“Totally normal things that friends do.” Catra continued to tease her. “Why? Would you prefer a different label?” She questioned as she shifted her position to be closer to Adora.

_What is she going to do now?_ She thought before answering. “I…uh…yes?”

“Like?” She asked as she raised her hand to play with the hair brushing against the left side of Adora’s face.

“Girlfriend?” She said unsurely, not knowing how Catra would react.

“Hmmmm…” Catra pretended to think about an answer, as she continued to twirl Adora’s hair between her fingers, even though she already knew what she wanted to say. “Okay, girlfriend it is.” She shrugged her shoulder, acting extremely nonchalantly even though she was celebrating on the inside.

“YES!” Adora cheered.

Catra smiled. She was clearly enjoying Adora’s enthusiasm about this whole situation. “You’re such a goof.” She said as she looked at Adora’s lips and leaned in closer.

Adora stopped her progress by raising a hand to her right shoulder. “Don’t you **dare** try to kiss me right now.”

Catra pushed against her hand and tried to lean in further. “C’mere Adora. Let me kiss you!” She exclaimed, followed by kissing noises.

“No!” Adora was smiling as she defended herself from Catra’s attacks.

“Come on!” Catra playfully demanded as she grabbed one of Adora’s wrists in an attempt to move it away from her face.

“Nope!” Adora exclaimed as she freed herself from Catra’s grip and pinned her arm to the bed. She could easily overpower Catra if she wanted too, but this was all very playful and not forceful in the slightest.

“You’re no fun.” Catra pouted dramatically.

“I do not want to get sick Catra!” She said as she released her hold on Catra and sat up in bed.

“Fine. But you’re probably going to get sick regardless.” Catra said truthfully.

She moved away from Adora and pulled back the covers and scooted to the edge of the bed to get up. She planted her feet on the floor, but when she stood, she felt dizzy which resulted in her sitting back down. Adora observed her every second of the way and decided she was not taking any more of Catra’s protests.

“Alright, I’m taking you to the doctor.” Adora said as she got out of bed and walked over to where Catra was sitting.

“Adora, I am not going to a doctor.” She crossed her arms over her chest and defiantly stared up at her girlfriend.

“Come on Catra! You’re clearly getting worse! Going to a doctor means you get medicine that can help you fight whatever this is.” She pleaded.

“No way.”

Adora tried to think of something that would be able to persuade Catra to go. _What’s something that she can never say no too…_

“What if I bought you lunch?” She suggested hoping that Catra would comply now that the deal included food. She observed her girlfriend mentally weigh her options. She squinted her eyes and scrunched up her mouth to the right side of her face as she tapped her fingers on the bed.

Catra sighed. “Okay, but I get to choose where we stop.”

“Deal.” Adora readily agreed, thankful that she was willing to go to the doctor now.

Catra slowly got out of bed this time, still clearly feeling weak, and headed into her room to change as Adora waited for her in the living room. She emerged wearing a pair of leggings and an oversized hoodie, clearly opting for comfort over fashion in her sick state.

Adora just smiled as she looked at her.

“What?” Catra asked, kind of confused as to why Adora was giving her this look.

“Nothing. I’m just not used to you dressing so…relaxed.” She giggled. “It’s pretty cute though.”

“Thanks. I call this look: ‘I feel like shit and I didn’t feel like putting a bra on.’”

“Honestly, valid.” Adora said as she moved closer to the front door and picked up her car keys. “Ready?”

“I guess.” She responded and then sniffed.

They headed out the door and to Adora’s car. The entire time they were walking Adora kept an eye on Catra. She knew she was being overly cautious and worried, but if Catra had gotten woozy earlier, she certainly could do the same on the stairs or outside. Adora did **not** want Catra falling down and hurting herself.

When they entered the car, Adora cranked up the heat, it was still a bit cold outside this time of year and she didn’t want Catra getting too cold while sick. She pulled out of their apartment complex’s parking lot and headed to the doctors. It was about a twenty-minute drive to the closest walk-in clinic, just on the other side of campus, which wasn’t too bad, she just hoped that it wouldn’t be too busy when they got there.

* * *

When they arrived at the walk-in clinic, Adora sat down in one of the waiting room chairs as Catra checked herself in before joining her. The waiting room was just like any other walk-in lobby area that Adora has ever been in, and she had a lot of references to compare it to, given how reckless she and Catra were as kids. It was pretty grey, and the furniture didn’t match the décor at all. There was also a tv on in the corner of the room that was playing a rerun of some 80s movie no one knew.

There were a few other people here too, all in varying states of distress. Adora took a quick look at the whole room before examining everyone that was here. It was a weird thing she did, but she just blamed that on her fascination with the human body and she was a sports medicine student after all. Catra would usually tease her about trying to inspect everyone from afar, but she really wasn’t in the mood to do much of anything right now, which gave Adora free range to start her examination of the room.

There was a young kid to their left, who appeared to have hurt his arm somehow, indicated by the way he was holding it, and his parents looked pissed_. I know that look, he must have done something really stupid and then gotten hurt._ Then there was an elderly couple to their left and the man had a towel raised to his head that had a few red stains on it. _Seems like he fell down somehow, most likely just lost balance_. She thought. _Most probable cause, given his age._ There was also a man, mid-twenties, sitting adjacent to them and it looked like he couldn’t get comfortable for some reason. _By the way he is squirming around in his seat, I would say that there’s something wrong with his butt or his…_

Adora was pulled from her analytical diagnosing spree when Catra reached over and grabbed her left hand. She could tell by her grip that she was already feeling uncomfortable. Catra didn’t like doctors for a variety of reasons, but her anxiety mostly stemmed from watching a sick family member being mistreated or overlooked by medical professionals during a time in need. You could say that Catra really didn’t trust doctors, but that would be an understatement. Understanding this, Adora reassuringly stroked a thumb over her knuckles before turning to look at her.

“Everything is going to be fine.” Adora said affectionately.

Catra opened her mouth to say something but was interrupted when someone called her name.

“Catrina Diaz?” A man in scrubs called out from the open door leading to the exam rooms next to the check-in counter.

She stood from the chair before looking over at Adora. “Are you coming with me?”

“If you want me too.” She answered.

“I do… for moral support…” She said hesitantly but with a grin.

Adora got up from the chair and followed behind Catra as the man led then into one of the curtained exam rooms. Catra sat down on the papered exam table, which crinkled underneath of her, and Adora took a seat in the spare chair that was in the room. The man then entered the room after them and drew the curtain closed.

“Hello, my name is Nate, I will be your technician this morning.” He grabbed a clipboard off the shelf by the door. “I’m going to ask you some questions first, okay?” He spoke softly.

“Okay.” Catra agreed.

“Do you know your height and weight?” He asked.

“Five-foot-five and around one hundred and twenty-five pounds.” Catra answered.

_Ugh! How is she so skinny! She’s literally been the same weight since high school!_ Adora wasn’t jealous. No, definitely not.

“Is there any chance of you being pregnant?” He questioned directly. 

Catra laughed. “No.”

“When was you last menstrual cycle?” His tone was flat.

She thought for a moment. “Uh, about a week ago.”

“And when was the last time you had sex?” Catra raised a brow at him and he sighed. “I know it’s a weird question, but there’s something going around on the BMU campus and since you go there, I have to ask.” Apparently, he’s gotten that look from a lot of people if that’s his reaction and then something clicked in Adora’s head. _Maybe that’s why that guy in the lobby couldn’t sit still… gross._

Catra looked over at Adora for an intense few seconds before looking back at the technician. “Well over a year ago.” She said.

Adora couldn’t help but blush. _What was **that **look for? _She felt kind of intimidated for some reason. Obviously, she’s thought about Catra in that way in her fantasies, but she never expected that kind of indirect, but very direct, message from Catra. _We’ve only been ‘dating’ for a month._ She thought. _And we haven’t done anything other than kiss yet… maybe she wants to turn it up a notch?_ Adora swallowed harshly. _That’s probably why she kissed my neck last night…_

It’s not like Adora was inexperienced, she had her fair share of flings and one-night stands, but this was Catra and she was her girlfriend now. In all her years, Adora had never been in a committed relationship, unlike Catra who had Lonnie, because she decidedly couldn’t dedicate herself to a relationship long enough to make it meaningful. She wouldn’t call herself a heartbreaker, but Adora had definitely broken a lot of hearts in high school and in college.

She was pulled from her thoughts once more by the sound of scribbling as Nate jotted down the information on his clipboard before speaking again. “Okay, so now I just need to take your blood pressure, pulse, and temperature. Can you hold out your left arm please?” He asked and she obliged.

Catra held out her arm as Nate wrapped the blood pressure cuff around her bicep and as he placed a pulse oximeter on her finger. He also gave her a thermometer to place under her tongue, to take all her vitals at once. Catra was solid as stone right now, not moving in the slightest. Seeing her this way was weird to Adora. Catra was always relaxed and carefree, but in this moment, it looked like she could be spooked at any second.

_I wish I could just sit up on that table next to her…_ Adora thought. It was kind of heartbreaking seeing Catra this nervous, but she knew that she needed to be her to get the help she needed.

Nate spoke again. “Blood pressure is one-thirteen over seventy-five. Good. Temperature is one hundred and one. Not good. And pulse is eighty-five.” He smiled. “Are you nervous Miss Diaz?”

Catra looked away. “A little.”

“Don’t worry. We’ll take great care of you here and it looks like you have someone here to support you too.” He looked over at Adora and smiled again. “Alright, I’m going to put these numbers in the system and the doctor should be in soon.”

As Nate left the room, the girls were left by themselves again. Catra just glared at Adora and she already knew what that look meant without needing to speak. It was a look that said ‘I fucking hate this and I want to go home.’ Adora gave Catra her best ‘I’m sorry’ look before looking at the medical diagrams on the wall. They sat in comfortable silence until the curtain was pulled open again.

The woman who entered was older in the face and small in stature. She had to be in her sixties, and she dressed like she was preparing for the coldest day on record. Her dusty rose-colored sweater contrasted greatly against her stark white lab coat and the green scarf around her throat hid the majority of her neck. She also wore thick glasses and her long gray hair framed her face delicately.

“Hello, I’m Razz. I’ll be your doctor.” She looked at a piece of paper before speaking again. “What brings you in today?” She questioned.

Catra sniffed. “I started feeling weird a few days ago and it seems like it has just been getting worse. Also, my girlfriend forced me to come here.” She looked over at Adora and stuck out her tongue.

Adora rolled her eyes at her. _She’s such a child, but she just said that we were girlfriends out loud! I couldn’t be happier right now! _She celebrated internally, but there was an obvious smile on her face.

Razz laughed. “Weird how, dear?”

“Well, I’ve had a bad headache for about three days now, my nose is stuffy and my sinuses kind of burn. Oh! And this morning I started dry coughing, so that’s new.”

“Hmmm…sounds like a sinus infection, but I just need to examine you just to be sure, okay?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

_Ma’am?_ Adora was slightly thrown off. _She must be really uncomfortable to be using formalities._

Razz reached for the stethoscope around her neck “I’m going to listen to your breathing. Do you mind removing your hoodie?”

Catra reached for the hem of the hoodie and lifted it up over her head. She was wearing a worn loose-fitting band t-shirt underneath. The graphics were almost completely faded, but Adora understood why she keep it… it looked super comfortable.

Razz reproached her and placed the stethoscope on her back. “Breathe in.” She did. “Breathe out.” Catra coughed. Razz repeated this in various spots around Catra’s back and chest.

“Your airways are clear which is good.” The doctor said as she reached for the otoscope to look in her ears, nose and mouth. She started with her throat. “There’s a little irritation in your throat probably from postnasal drip.” She moved to her ears. “Fluid is present behind your left eardrum and…” Razz moved to look in her nose. “…your sinuses are inflamed. Definitely a sinus infection.”

“Great.”

“Don’t worry dear. A round of antibiotics will fix you right up.” She began filling out a prescription. “I want you to take a pill twice a day, one at night and one in the morning, for 10 days.” Razz continued.

“10 days?!” Catra tone was a little bit of shock mixed with a touch of irritation.

“Yes… as for the nasal inflammation, you can take over the counter pain medicine for that.” Razz handed the prescription to Catra as she began to get off the exam table.

“And you.” She looked directly at Adora. “Take good care of her. I can tell she’s the type that doesn’t like to follow the rules.” Razz joked.

Catra audibly huffed and Adora smiled. “I will, I promise.”

Razz left the room and Catra and Adora headed out to through the lobby, which had cleared out for the most part, and back to Adora’s car. The great part of going to a walk-in clinic affiliated with Bright Moon University meant that you didn’t have to have insurance nor was there a fee.

* * *

Once they were back in the car, Adora started the ignition and Catra propped her left leg up onto the seat, so that her knee was near her face, and reclined the seat slightly.

_Why can’t she just sit like a normal person while in the car?_ Adora thought, before her stomach rumbled. _She’s probably hungry by now too since we didn’t have any breakfast._

“So, what did you want for lunch?” She asked.

“Hmmm…” Catra thought for a moment. “I could really go for a burger right now.”

“Yeah?” That honestly was not the answer Adora was expecting when she had made that deal with her this morning. She was expecting her to suggest a place that was completely out of the way and would be a pain in the ass to get to.

“Yep.” She affirmed.

“Well, that was easier than I thought it would be.” Adora chuckled slightly. “There’s a drive through place right by the pharmacy, do you want to go to that one?”

“Oh! Is that the one that just opened up a few weeks ago?” Catra asked and Adora nodded. “People in my class have not stopped talking about it ever since then. Wouldn’t hurt to give it a try.”

“Thaymor’s Grill it is then.” Adora said as she pulled out of the walk-in clinic’s parking lot.

It was about a ten-minute drive to the pharmacy and they dropped off the prescription for Catra’s antibiotics before driving over to the burger joint next door. There, Catra ordered a double cheeseburger and Adora ordered a single one. Both their meals came with fires and a drink, tea for Adora and soda for Catra. She pulled into an empty parking space so they could eat their meals here. Catra began pulling their food out of the bag, while sneaking fries. She handed Adora her food and set her own down in her lap.

Adora looked over to Catra as she started unwrapping her meal. That was a hefty burger and she had no doubt that Catra was going to eat the whole thing. “I don’t know how you can eat like that, not workout, and still look…”

Catra interrupted her before she could finish that sentence. “Hot? Fine? Sexy?” _All of the above_ Adora thought. “It’s because of my high metabolism obviously.” She flipped her hair dramatically. “Don’t be jealous just because your ass was built to store food, rather than burn it.” Catra laughed as she reached over and poked at Adora’s stomach.

Adora knew that Catra was just joking, but she played along anyway. “Did you just call me fat?”

“WHAT?! No!” She protested. “You’re all muscle, babe.” Catra froze immediately after she realized what she just said.

“Babe?” Adora smiled at her. “We literally just established that we were officially dating less than twenty-four hours ago and you’re already pulling out the pet names?” She laughed. “Are you going soft Catra?”

“Fuck you.” She said as she turned to look out the window.

“Don’t be embarrassed _kitty_.” Now that was a nickname that Adora hasn’t used on Catra in a while. She used to always use that as a rebuttal against Catra calling her princess, but she stopped doing that a long time ago… until right now.

“Ugh!” She hid her face in her hands. “Stop!”

“It was actually kind of cute…” She admitted, hoping to alleviate some of her girlfriend’s embarrassment.

Catra lifted her face from her hands to look at Adora. “Can we just eat, please?!”

“Please?” Adora smirked as she continued to tease her. It was kind of fun getting Catra all riled out like this.

“Adora, SHUT UP!” Catra said as she placed her left hand over her girlfriend’s mouth. “Just… that’s enough…” She removed her hand and looked down at her lap.

Now feeling slightly remorseful, Adora wanted to apologize for teasing her that much. “Sorry Catra, I didn’t mean…” Then she saw that look in her eyes that said, ‘I swear to god if you apologize right now, I’m getting out of this car and walking home.’ So Adora decided to shut her mouth and occupy it with a burger instead. They ate for a couple minutes in silence, the air only occupied with the sound of their chewing and the car radio, until Catra spoke up again after calming herself down.

“This is a fucking good burger.” Catra said threw her chewing. “At least it lives up to the hype.”

“Yeah, it is pretty good.” Adora agreed before taking another bite of hers. She still felt really bad for what just happened a few minutes ago and the guilt was eating away at her. She had to say something.

“Look, Catra I…” She began before getting cut off.

“It’s fine Adora.” She said in an irritated tone.

“I shouldn’t have …

Catra reached out her left hand and placed it on Adora’s shoulder. “I mean it. It’s fine.” She gave her a warm smile. “Honestly, it’s kind of hypocritical of me to tease you and not accept it when it’s directed at me.”

_Oh, so she was being sincere?_ Adora thought. _That’s an interesting development._

She reached out and grabbed Catra’s hand from her shoulder and smiled. “Glad you finally know how it feels… _babe_.” Adora teased again, sensing that her girlfriend was no longer upset and could tolerate some more pestering.

Catra rolled her eyes. “Why did I agree to be your girlfriend again?’

“Because you liiiiiiike me.” Adora said in childish tone.

“Which is totally more embarrassing for me than calling you babe.” Catra smiled at her through a laugh.

Adora smiled back at her. _At least she isn’t denying that she doesn’t like me anymore. Maybe we are making some real progress in this relationship…_

She turned her attention back to her half-eaten burger and they both quickly finished their meals. Before they knew it, an hour had passed and Catra’s medicine was ready to be picked up. She drove next door again to pick up the prescription before they headed home.

* * *

When the girls got back home, Catra quickly made her way to the kitchen to take her antibiotic and pain meds with water before heading to the couch. She sat down on the right side, Adora’s side, and she had full intent on spending the rest of the day doing what she wanted to do and that was to relax. Grabbing the blanket off the back of the couch, she threw it over herself, before turning on the tv and flipping through the channels.

Adora had gotten her own glass of water from the kitchen and was walking towards the couch when she noticed where Catra was sitting. _Why is she sitting on my side?_ She wondered. _Maybe this is her silent way of messing with me from what happened earlier. She is petty like that…_ She continued moving towards the couch and was just about to sit next to where Catra had propped up her feet until she called out to her.

“Wait, Adora? Before you sit down can you bring me my sketchbook?”

Adora nodded, but she was confused as to what Catra would sketch in their apartment, so she asked. “What are you going to draw in here?”

She shrugged her shoulders. “I was just going to doodle.”

“Can I make a request?” Adora asked hesitantly. She has had an idea brewing in her head ever since her birthday and she was just waiting for the right opportunity to ask.

“Sure.”

She looked away. “Can you draw me…?” She stopped midsentence, not sure how to phrase this.

_Can you draw me wearing something that I have specifically chosen for you? No. Something to prove to you that I can be sexy too. Definitely not. Something you already basically told me you wanted to see me in? Yeah, no… Hmmmm…_

“Yes…?” Catra answered as she examined Adora’s demeanor. “Why are you acting so weird?”

“You didn’t let me finish.” Adora responded. “Can you draw me… wearing something else?” That’s how she decided to phrase things. It was vague enough to keeping Catra guess what she meant and by the way her cheeks were flushing right now, she could tell a few ideas were swirling in her mind.

“Ah, yeah… sure.” Her voice was a little shaky.

Adora nodded before heading into Catra’s room to get her sketchbook. She held Catra’s gaze as she handed it to her. It was obvious that she was excited to see what Adora would put on for her, but she probably is expecting something different than what Adora was planning for her. She wanted to make her laugh, not turn her on, well maybe she could do both. Either way, Adora hoped that Catra wouldn’t be too disappointed.

She walked into her room and closed the door behind her before opening up her closet. She pulled out that long-sleeved opaque white lace bodysuit that Catra had found a few months ago in the back of her closet. Adora slipped out of what she was currently wearing, a pair of jeans and sweater, and tossed them in her laundry hamper before contemplating for a moment. _Should I go all the way with this outfit? Or should remain modest? Eh, what’s the worst that could happen?_ Throwing modesty out the window, Adora stripped out of her undergarments too before putting on the bodysuit.

She walked into her bathroom to get a look at herself in the mirror. The deep v in the front of the bodysuit revealed the majority of her chest, but it wasn’t too revealing. It also showed off a good amount of leg, but the consequence to that was that it also exposed a whole lot of ass. Adora was feeling a little self-conscious at the moment. _Do I, or do I not show off the majority of the goods right now?_ She contemplated. _What would Catra think? She would probably like it… she did say she liked my legs a while back… but this is just so much booty._

Luckily, Adora had the perfect solution to the issue that she was having right now. She exited her bathroom and began searching through her closet again. She reemerged this time with a red cape that she had acquired from a Halloween costume two years ago. She slung it over her shoulders, and it covered her butt, reaching about mid-thigh too, which was good.

She only needed one more thing to complete this look and it was the sword that Catra had gotten her a few weeks ago for her birthday. She walked over to her desk, where it was propped up against the wall and picked it up. She looked down at her completed outfit and it was exactly what she was hoping it would look like. Satisfied with her look, Adora cracked open her bedroom door to see Catra staring back at her. She was still behind the coverage of the door as she spoke up.

“Are you ready for this?” She asked humorously.

Catra smiled. “Yes, I’m ready.” Clearly picking up on Adora’s tone of voice she continued. “What kind of stupid outfit have you put on this time?”

Adora stepped out of her bedroom and she could practically feel Catra’s eyes rake across her body as she checked her out. Her cheeks were a little rosy as she started from Adora’s face, down to her chest, lingering her gaze on her legs and then back up.

Catra smiled. “Only you, Adora Marlena Grayskull, could turn an outfit that is essentially lingerie into something… indescribable.”

Adora did a small twirl to show off the entirety of her outfit and Catra definitely did not miss that brief moment when Adora’s ass was on full display either. “No words? Really?” Adora asked.

Catra struggled to find the right words. “You look like… a sluty superhero, but like… in a good way.”

“Thanks.” She laughed before looking around. “So, where do you want me to sit?”

Catra cleared her throat. “I was actually thinking you could use one of our desk chairs and put it there?” She pointed to the open space between her and Adora’s rooms.

“Good idea.”

Adora propped her sword up against the wall, before she went into Catra’s room and wheeled her desk chair into the living room. She chose Catra’s desk chair because it didn’t have armrests like hers and she thought that might be more flattering to the drawing. Adora then picked her sword back up and sat down in the chair. She crossed her legs, left over right, before turning her lower half to the side slightly while her torso remained forward. She planted the sword in front of herself, with a firm grip, and to the left of her legs in a way that made her look powerful.

“Good?” She asked.

Catra had to snap herself of whatever daze she was in to answer Adora. “Huh, wha… oh, yeah. Perfect, actually.”

She settled her sketchbook onto her lap, before she began a rough sketch of her girlfriend. Adora was mesmerized by the way Catra’s eyes would flick up from the paper to her and then back to the paper with great intensity and focus. She was in full on concentration mode, indicated by her tongue slightly poking out, and Adora knew not to disrupt her while she was doing her thing, so she was surprised when Catra spoke to her.

“This is oddly reminiscent of a certain movie… Isn’t, Adora?” She smiled while looking at the paper.

Adora knew exactly what she was talking about. “Hmmm… Maybe. But Rose didn’t have a sword so… Also, I’m not laying down.” Adora laughed a little, finding it humorous that Catra would bring up the Titanic in a moment like this.

“Well she probably wouldn’t have looked even as half as hot as you if she did.” Catra said as she looked back up at Adora.

_Yes! Ah ha! She does think I’m hot! _Adora celebrated internally. _I knew I could fluster her too! How does it feel Catra?!_ She somehow managed to keep her expression neutral on the outside though. She did not want to get yelled at for changing expressions or moving like she had a few months ago.

“So, what’s your superhero name?” Catra spoke up again. _Maybe she’s trying to distract herself… distract herself from me…_

Adora smiled before answering. “What?” She asked.

“Well, you named your sword… I assumed that you named whatever personality this is to.” She gestured to Adora’s body with her right hand still holding the pencil.

“Oh, uh…” _Should I tell her?_ “I did… just don’t make fun of me?”

Sensing Adora’s sudden vulnerability she nodded. “Of course not.”

Adora looked away before answering. “She-Ra.”

“Really?” Catra smiled back. “You mean that character you made up when we would play pretend as kids?”

“Yeah…”

“Well, I’d say she definitely got an upgrade today.” Catra winked at her.

Adora was grateful that Catra was essentially letting her live out childhood dream right now. She smiled as her girlfriend continued sketching, before she picked up a pen for a more defined outline. In total, it took less than an hour for Catra to complete her drawing of Adora. When she was done, she ripped out the drawing from her sketchbook and held out the drawing for Adora to take.

“Here.” She said as Adora looked back at her in shock.

_She’s never given me one of her drawings before, let alone let me look at one for longer than a few seconds._ Adora had a gleam in her eyes as she stood up from the chair and walked over to take the drawing from Catra. She could also feel eyes began to water and she looked down at her.

“Hey, don’t give me that look.” Catra looked away. “This seemed to mean a lot to you so…”

Adora reach out and touched the side of her face to get her to look at her in the eyes “Thank you Catra.” She said before she leaned down and kiss her on the lips.

Catra smiled when she pulled away. “Did you just kiss me while I’m still sick?”

She was not thinking about that at all. Adora just wanted to thank Catra for what she had done for her. “Shit.” She uttered under her breath.

That just caused Catra to laugh and Adora rolled her eyes as she finally took the drawing from her. She looked at the drawing and it was immaculate. The linework captured Adora’s essence perfectly and she even managed to pick up on the slight smile that had been on her face for the entire time.

“Do you like it?” Catra asked unsurely.

“It’s amazing.” She responded before reaching down and squeezing her hand instead of kissing her this time.

Drawing in hand, Adora turned, walked away and went to go pin the drawing to the bulletin board above her desk, before she returned to find Catra asleep on the couch. _Guess, the antibiotics, pain meds and overall exhaustion finally kicked in._ Adora thought as she walked over to Catra and set her sketch book on the coffee table so it wouldn’t fall on the floor, before turning off the tv. She headed back to her room to change and settled down at her own desk to do some homework.

She looked back up at the drawing on her bulletin board, noticing something scribbled in the bottom left corner that she hadn’t noticed before. _For the honor of Grayskull!_ it read. It was something she used to shout at the top of her lungs when they would play pretend in the yard when they were younger. Using her surname as a war cry, used to really piss of the neighbors, but she was a kid. What were they going to do? Tell her to stop? Yeah, because that worked. _Wow, she really did remember._ Adora thought and smiled before retuning her attention to the homework in front of her.

_I literally have the best girlfriend in the world…_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you guys catch that call back from chapters two and five? You never know when the foreshadowing is gonna strike in this fic lol. Also, look at me trying to fit the lore of She-Ra, the sword and Razz all into one chapter. Whew! Hope you liked what I did though!
> 
> Next Chapter: It’s spring break season! The whole gang takes a camping trip into the mountains. Or, things start getting hot between Catra and Adora. (but not too hot... yet lol)
> 
> Next Update: By November 4, 2019 (I'm really going to try to post chapter 8 before the premiere of season 4, but it's literally not written yet... so we'll see how that works out.)
> 
> Follow me on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/simplyabsolute1) and/or [Tumblr](https://simplyabsolute.tumblr.com/)


	8. Spring Break

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After finally telling their friends that they are dating and passing their midterms with flying colors, the gang heads to the mountains for a fun filled getaway during spring break, much to Catra’s dismay. All she wanted was some quality alone time with her girlfriend in hopes of taking their relationship to the next level, but that’s a lot harder when there’s four other people involved.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again! Yes! I managed to crank out this chapter before season 4 (which I’m totally still unprepared for btw) but I hope this chapter feeds you some quality Catradora, before our hearts are shattered on Tuesday. Also, I honestly don’t even know how this chapter got this long… but here we are! Lol. Enjoy guys! Oh! And it gets spicy towards the end… that’s why I raised the rating but it’s nothing explicit... yet…
> 
> There's another question for you guys at the end of this chapter too!
> 
> Timeline: March

Catra's POV

Catra had gotten over her sinus infection weeks ago and Adora surprisingly never got sick thanks to her germophobic tendencies. And yes, she did take her full course of antibiotics, her girlfriend made sure that happened, in case you’re wondering, and that’s probably why she feels so great now if we’re being honest. Plus, she got to miss a few days of class, which was needed, even though spring break was in two weeks. Something that she was and wasn’t looking forward to for a multitude of conflicting reasons, but we’ll get to that later.

Speaking of her girlfriend, there was still one thing that hadn’t been done yet, they still haven’t told their friends that they were dating now. Adora has been procrastinating telling Glimmer and Bow, because she knew that they would overreact and Catra was reluctant to tell Scorpia, because she didn’t want to let her down and god knows how Entrapta would react. Adora had told Catra a while ago that Entrapta had been studying their friend group and their relationships for an unknown amount of time. So, now that they were dating, Catra assumed that they would be studied as a unit now and she really didn’t want to deal with that in her life right now.

But they had to tell their friends sometime… and that’s exactly what happened at the beginning of this month.

The girls had decided that it was probably best to let Glimmer and Bow know first, since their reaction would be the most ‘reasonable’. Adora had told her to meet them in the main student center by the food court for lunch after class. Catra was currently walking over from the art building, wearing a long-sleeved graphic tee, ripped jeans and sneakers, when she pulled out her phone from her back pocket to let her know that she would be there soon.

_1:15, Catra: Hey, I’m omw_

_1:15, Adora: Great! Glimmer and Bow are already here, and we are sitting near the windows by the back exit next to the printing center. Do you want me to get you anything before you get here? :)_

_1:15, Catra: Actually, yeah. Could you get me a sandwich or something?_

_1:16, Adora: Sure thing! Sys!_

When Catra walked into the student center, she was hit with the strong smell of fried food, grease, body odor and sadness? Could you even smell that? Maybe not, but Catra could definitely sense it. The beginning of March also signaled the ever-approaching dread of midterms week. It wasn’t something that they were looking forward to, no, but it was something that meant that they were almost halfway through this semester already and that they would be graduating in less than eight weeks if all went well.

Catra walked towards the back of the building and into the food court seating area, before she scanned the crowd looking for her girlfriend. Her eyes found the back wall of windows and she followed them until she saw that familiar blonde ponytail. She began approaching the table and she saw Adora, Glimmer and Bow all laughing along to something being played on one of their tablets that they had brought with them. They looked like a bunch of idiots, Adora especially, but she was her idiot so she couldn’t help but smile when she finally reached the table.

“Catra!” Adora greeted her as soon as she noticed that she had arrived. She stood up from her seat at the table and quickly engulfed Catra in a tight hug as Glimmer and Bow looked on.

“What’s up princess?” She responded as she began to pull away from the hug. _Don’t kiss her in front of her friends. Don’t kiss her in front of her friends… _She repeated in her head until they were fully separated. “Didn’t miss me too much did you?”

Adora rolled her eyes and sat down and Catra followed suit. “Eh, you know… I’ll just say that it’s better now that you’re here.” Followed by a warm smile.

Bow and Glimmer just gave each other a look.

“Nice of you to join us Catra.” Bow greeted her too.

“Yeah… really nice…” Glimmer said in a suspicious tone.

“So… where were we?” Bow continued on normally.

“You were showing us a clip of a dance routine you have to learn for you theatre midterm.” Adora reminded.

“Right!” He said.

Catra began to unwrap the sandwich that her girlfriend had bought her and started eating it as she tuned out the conversation going on around her. All she could do was look at Adora. She wouldn’t say that she was awestruck, but it was definitely something along those lines. Catra examined every feature on her face. Her beautiful smile, her fucking perfect eyebrows, the way her nose crinkled when she laughed, the way stray hairs from her ponytail framed her face, how she tried to be discreet in holding her hand under the table. Literally everything single thing about Adora made Catra happy.

She thought for a moment. _Nothing she does is irritating anymore. How is that possible? Adora used to bother me every second on the day, but now she’s just… just… wow. _She contemplated some more. _Fuck… am I in love?_ Catra felt her chest tighten as the realization struck her. _Shit._

Then there was a hand being waved in front of her face and a voice was calling out to her. “Uh…Catra? Catra!” Glimmer called out to her.

“What?!” She snapped, kind of upset that her attention was being taken away from Adora.

Glimmer furrowed her brows. “Bow asked your opinion on something…” She looked from Catra, to Adora, them back to Catra.

“Oh?” Her tone changed into something softer. She was slightly embarrassed that she had presumably been caught staring at Adora.

“Yeah…” Glimmer confirmed.

Catra looked down at her half-eaten sandwich. “And what was the question?” She asked as she poked at the bread of her sandwich.

“Well, since you’re in the arts too I was wondering if you would be able to give your opinion on some costume and set designs that I have on my tablet…” Bow repeated as he glanced between the pair too. “…but now I would really rather know why you two are acting so weird.” He looked concerned.

“Weird? We aren’t acting weird…” Adora tried to play off her friend’s suspicions, but we already know she was a horrible liar, so they caught on immediately.

_Why does she even try to lie!_ Catra thought as she rubbed her temples with her left hand before pinching the bridge of her nose. _This is not how this discussion was supposed to go down…_

“Adora.” Bow and Glimmer said simultaneously.

Adora sighed. “Okay, we have something to tell you…” She began before looking over at Catra.

_Oh, no! I am not going to tell them. Nuh uh! _ She squinted her eyes before responding. “And what is that Adora?” She questioned with a sly smile.

And if looks could kill, Catra would be dead right now. Adora turned her focus back to her friends. She sighed again “We… are… dating…”

“WHAT?!” Bow exclaimed a little too loudly for the public space that they were in.

“Haha!” Glimmer comically laughed. “I fucking knew it! Bow you owe me twenty bucks!”

“TWENTY DOLLARS?! I Thought we agreed on ten!”

“Wait you guys made a bet on us?” Catra asked, but her question was seemingly ignored as Glimmer and Bow continued to bicker.

“That was last year! And before I started suspecting something was up a month ago.” Glimmer continued with an outstretched hand awaiting her prize.

Bow crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back in his chair. “No way, I don’t believe it!” Then he grinned. “I need proof!”

“Proof?” Glimmer and Catra said together, before looking at each other. Adora remained quiet, opting to watch this situation unravel before her. She had done her part in admitting that they were dating, so the rest was Catra’s to handle.

“Yes, proof.” He continued. Looking smug as ever and it was kind of funny seeing Bow try to put up a front, since he was usually a very easy-going guy.

“The fuck kind of proof do you want Bow?” Catra questioned. She was getting kind of irritated from this whole situation and by the fact that Adora had decided not to participate in this conversation any longer.

He uncrossed his arms, place his elbows on the table and rested his head in his hands before speaking. “A kiss.”

“A kiss? Really, Bow?” Catra continued.

“Yep and if you do it… I’ll give you and Glimmer twenty dollars.” He said.

Catra didn’t need any more of an explanation than that. “aight.” She said as she turned her body to face Adora and shifted closer to her to get a better angle. She then raised her left hand and placed it behind Adora’s neck and started to lean in.

“Wait!” Adora said as she pulled away. “Don’t I get a say in this too?”

“I’ll give you twenty too Adora.” He continued.

“Bow, were did you sixty dollars from?!” Glimmer suddenly interjected.

“Don’t worry about it Glimmer, so do we have a deal?”

Catra looked at Adora and shrugged her shoulders. She was going to get twenty dollars for just kissing her girlfriend. That was a hell of a good deal to her. She just waited for Adora’s response, who was taking way longer to respond than needed.

“Fine.” Adora finally consented.

And that was all the confirmation that Catra needed to go in. She placed her left hand on the back of Adora’s neck again and gave her a small smile before leaning in once more. This time, Adora met her halfway and Catra was so happy when their lips finally met. She’s wanted to do this since she walked into the student center and spotted her girlfriend a half an hour ago. Then Catra thought. _If they want a kiss, I’ll give them a kiss._ Deciding to give them a show, Catra took the lead and deepened the kiss and her girlfriend willingly gave in. Adora tasted sweet like the soda she had been drinking a few minutes ago and not really wanting to get into a full on make out session in the middle of the BMU cafeteria, Catra broke the kiss after a few seconds.

When they parted, she heard a ‘WOOOO’ and a whistle coming from somewhere around them.

She turned in her seat, towards the direction of the sound and exclaimed, “Oh! Shut up!” before flipping them off. When she looked back at her table, Glimmer and Bow both had their hands clasped together over their chest, while they were huddle close together, their eyes looked watery and they had the biggest smiles on their faces. They looked like proud parents who had just seen their child walk for the first time.

Bow wiped a tear from his eye. “Totally worth sixty dollars.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever been this happy.” Glimmer said.

Catra rolled her eyes before looking over at Adora who had rosy cheeks and a shocked look on her face. Was that the first time that they had kissed like that? Yes. And was Adora totally unprepared for it? You bet. But was Catra completely satisfied by what she had done? Of course. And she was living for this look that was on her girlfriend’s face right now.

While Glimmer and Bow were gawking over the two and talking to one another about her and Adora’s relationship, Catra leaned in closer so only her girlfriend could hear what she was going to say next. “Don’t worry babe. There’s more where that came from.” She then moved back and winked for good measure.

Adora flushed a darker shade of red. _I don’t think that will ever get old. It’s almost too easy to fluster her._ Catra thought as she stood up from her seat.

“Well, this has been nice and all, but I should be heading back to the art building. I had promised Scorpia that I would help her study for an art history midterm.” She continued “So, yeah thanks for lunch guys.” Catra started to back away from the table. “Bye, Adora.” She said in a sultry tone before turning around and walking away.

She was about halfway to the exit, when she looked over her shoulder and saw that Adora was still staring at her. When their eyes met again, Catra gave her sly wave before walking out of the building. _Oh, she’s definitely going to want to do that again._ She smiled to herself. _Perfect._

* * *

Telling Scorpia one on one, about her and Adora’s relationship, had gone a lot better than she expected it to. Of course, Catra knew that Scorpia had feelings for her, but she never said anything about it because, honestly, she liked the attention. It was a very selfish reason, but before dating Adora (and before she knew that they were pining for each other) Catra appreciated someone answering her every beck and call. Was she using Scorpia? Some may see it that way, but to Catra, all she wanted was healthy love. And if she got that solely from the attention she received from Scorpia… then who’s to say that it was wrong?

So now that Adora and her were dating, Catra knew that the right thing to do was to tell Scorpia that the feelings weren’t mutual and to let her down easily. They were sitting across from one another in the study hall of the art department, while Scorpia was reading off a list of essay topics and venting to her about how she didn’t know which on to choose, and how they were all oddly specific, etc. There wasn’t a better time to bring this up, so Catra interrupted her.

“Scorpia?” She spoke up.

“Yeah?” Scorpia said as she raised her eyes from her study exam. “What’s up wildcat?”

_Wildcat._ That was a nickname that Catra really didn’t like. It was almost as bad as when Adora would call her _kitty_. Guess you could say that she just didn’t like nicknames that were a play on her name, but it’s mostly her fault because she never said anything about it.

“I have to tell you something.” She looked away.

Scorpia’s face grew concerned. “What is it? Is everything okay?”

Catra looked back at her. “Yeah, everything’s fine…” Her tone of voice was unsure as she continued. “…it’s actually about Adora.”

“Adora? Did she do something to you?” She stood up from the desk and slammed her hands on the table. “YOU KNOW I WON’T HESITATE CATRA!”

Catra smiled. “Shhhh! Scorpia! No, it isn’t anything like that, I promise.” She reassured her as she sat back down in her chair.

Scorpia was really confused now. “Then what is it?”

“Adora and I are dating now.” She finally admitted.

Scorpia did say anything, she just stared back at her with a blank expression. _Oh, shit. Did I just break her?_ Catra thought. _I really hope she doesn’t hate me now… uh… quick! How do we fix this? Hmmm… maybe if I try to explain?_

“Look Scorpia… I know that you have feelings for me, and I should have told you that the feelings weren’t mutual a long time ago…” She started rambling because Scorpia still hadn’t had a word. “…and I really shouldn’t have been playing with your emotions like that… I just hope that you can forgive me.”

“Catra.”

“Yes?”

Scorpia sighed. “I can’t say that I’m not disappointed, but you probably already know that…” She rubbed the back of her neck. “But I could never be mad at you.” She smiled. “Obviously I’ve known that the feelings weren’t mutual since you never reciprocated them and if dating Adora is what makes you happy… then, I am happy for you.”

Catra was honestly touched by Scorpia’s words. _How can someone be so selfless and so kind? _She thought as she got out of her seat. _She really is a great friend to have around._ She walked around the desk and flung her arms around Scorpia, who was definitely thrown off by Catra initiating the hug and by her reaction in general.

“Thank you so much Scorpia.” She said as she squeezed her tighter.

“You’re welcome Catra. You deserve to be happy especially after what you’ve told me about your last relationship with Lonnie…” There was sincerity in her voice.

Catra cringed a little. “Yeah…” Then she remembered something else, or rather someone else. “Oh! Do you mind doing me a favor? She asked as she sat back down on her side of the table.

“Sure.” She readily agreed.

“Can you tell Entrapta? You’re a lot better handling her… reactions better than I am.”

Scorpia laughed. “Yeah, no problem.”

“Oh, thank god!” Catra felt a wave of relief wash over her. “That’s why you’re the best.”

They returned to going over Scorpia’s essay prompts and the day carried on like normal. Catra was so ready for midterms to be over, so she could have some time to relax. Too bad that time would be occupied by five other people…

* * *

Two weeks later.

Midterms had gone off without a hitch, at least they had for Catra. She had turned in all her work in on time and her exams consisted of mostly reviews of the artwork that she was currently working on. Her animation instructor even complimented her on her recent walk cycle that she submitted in front of the entire class. That made her feel really good. Too bad the same couldn’t be said for Adora. Her girlfriend was a hot mess as usual during exams. She was studying almost every night into the early hours of the morning. So much so that Catra literally had to call her to bed sometimes and when she finally got in, she was so restless that it was almost impossible to sleep. Thank god, Catra took her melatonin at night, or she wouldn’t have gotten any shut eye at all.

It was the Saturday after finals and Adora had taken her last midterm yesterday. Apparently, it was the one test that she had been studying for the most and it had physically and mentally drained her so much that when she got home last night, that after taking a shower, she collapsed onto their bed and fell asleep not even five minutes later. Catra didn’t even get the opportunity to receive her nightly cuddles, but she guessed snuggling up to her knocked out girlfriend was just as good. They both needed the rest. Which is why she was kind of pissed that they would have to be waking up so early today.

It was five-thirty in the morning when Adora’s alarm started blaring in the darkness of her girlfriend’s bedroom. Catra woke up almost instantly and she laid there for a solid thirty seconds listening to the constant _beep beep beep beep_ coming from Adora’s phone. Not only was the sound really annoying, but it was becoming apparent that Adora wouldn’t be waking up that easily this morning. The only reason that they were waking up at the crack of dawn anyway was because they were being picked up, or more like kidnapped in Catra’s opinion, by their group of friends in an hour and a half for a fun filled week in the mountains… because that’s what they decided to do this year.

Every year during spring break Catra would be dragged along on some adventure with Adora and her friends. It was always so hard to be around other people for that long and Catra thought that this year might be different. Now that they were dating, Catra had hoped to spend the week off of school all alone with her girlfriend for some quality ‘bonding’ time. They had been dating for almost three months and Catra was ready to up the ante of their relationship. Yes, she thought it was sweet that Adora was taking things slow, or maybe she was just intimidated for some reason? She didn’t know. Either way Catra was getting tired of this year long dry spell real quick now that she was back in a relationship.

The alarm continued to blare. _How can she even sleep through this?_ Catra thought. _It’s literally so loud, I bet the neighbors can hear it._

Laying on her stomach as always, Catra reached over with her right hand to get Adora to stir. She felt around on the covers for a second until she bumped into her girlfriend’s arm and began pushing against it to rock her back and forth.

“Adora…” She said in a voice laced with sleep.

No answer.

_Ugh… she’s really going to make me move, isn’t she?_ She thought as she began pushing herself up onto her elbows before she looking to her right. When she did, she found her girlfriend still sound asleep laying on her back, completely oblivious to what was happening right now. _I swear to god…_ Catra thought as she continued moving towards the source of the alarm. Crawling on her hands and knees, she lazily reached over Adora, grabbed her phone off her desk and finally silenced the alarm.

She collapsed back onto the bed, which also included her girlfriend, as she let out a sigh of relief. _Finally… quiet…_ In this position, Catra was chest to chest with Adora, and she smiled at her when she made out her face through the darkness of the morning. Adora was no sleeping beauty, but in this moment, she seemed completely at ease. As Catra examined her face she noticed that she hadn’t taken her ponytail out last night, so it was piled on top of her head in a big poof, but her face was completely relaxed. Even that seemingly ever prevalent crease in her brow was nonexistent at the moment. _I really don’t want to wake you up._ Catra thought. _But it was your idea to get up this early…_

Catra raised her right face to Adora’s face and began stroking her thumb over her cheek slowly. “Hey…” She began and started to feel her girlfriend squirm under her. “We gotta get up.”

Adora scrunched up her face in annoyance before cracking open her eyes. “Huh…?”

Catra smiled at her. “Come on princess, it’s time to get up.” She said as she felt her take in a deep breath and Catra removed her hand.

Adora raised her left hand to her face and rubbed her eyes in attempt to wake herself up. “Did I sleep through the alarm?”

Catra lifted herself off of Adora and sat on her haunches as she kneeled. “You would’ve if it wasn’t for me.”

“Well, I guess it’s good a good thing that I keep you around then, huh?” Adora smiled from her position in bed. She was still laying down.

_What a smug little…_ Catra thought as she rolled her eyes at her even though she couldn’t see. “Yeah, and you’re real lucky that I didn’t just push you out of this bed right now.”

“I’d like to see you try Catra.” She giggled.

“Bet.” She said. “You should know not to challenge me Adora.”

And before she even had a moment to respond, Catra tore back the covers, shifted her position so that her feet were now placed against Adora’s right hip and upper arm, then she pushed with all her strength, effectively kicking her girlfriend out of bed. Luckily, Adora had caught herself about halfway off the bed with her left leg and stumbled a little until she reached the wall and regained her balance. She turned to look back at Catra who was now sitting cross legged on the bed.

Adora turned her bedroom light on before putting her hands on her hips. “Hey! I said push, not kick!”

Catra smirked at her, looking pleased as ever. “I did push you, but with my feet.”

“That’s not the same thing!” Adora continued to protest as Catra got out of bed and walked towards her.

“Isn’t it though?” She asked before kissing her. That seemed to silence Adora’s argument. “Anyway, I’m gonna go shower. I’ll meet you in the kitchen for breakfast afterwards?”

She smiled. “Alright.”

Adora prepared a simple breakfast as her girlfriend went to take a shower. This morning was already off to an interesting start…

* * *

After eating breakfast, and getting dressed, they picked up their bags and waited outside for their friends to pick them up after locking up their tiny apartment. Given the fact that it was mid-March, it was still a little brisk outside in the morning, but the air was crisp and it invigorated Catra when she breathed in. _Maybe this trip won’t be too bad after all._ She thought and she was in a good mood until she heard someone blasting Ariana Grande from a block away. _That has to be them._ Catra then looked at Adora with a look that was full of irritation.

“What? It’s not my fault that Bow really likes Ariana Grande.”

“Yeah, but do they have to be so fucking loud about it?!” Catra managed to say before spotting a minivan approaching them. Someone was waving out the passenger window at them and Catra only realized that it was Gimmer when the van finally stopped parallel in front of them and the music died down.

“Good morning you two!” Glimmer greeted them followed by a cacophony of ‘hellos’ coming from the rest of the group within the van.

“Morning Glimmer.” Adora said as she slid open the door to the minivan. “Hey guys!” She continued as they were finally able to see inside the van.

Inside, Bow was driving, Glimmer was shotgun, Entrapta was in the middle row on the left and Scorpia was in the back on the left. _So, I guess we’re not sitting together either…_ Catra droned in her head. _They’re going to make really difficult for us to be close on this trip, aren’t they?_

“Where do you want to sit?” Adora asked her.

Catra shrugged her shoulders. “Doesn’t matter to me.” It did matter, she didn’t want to sit next to Scorpia in fear of making Adora jealous again, and she really didn’t want to sit next to Entrapta because god knows what she would do to her if she fell a asleep. In her eyes it was a lose-lose situation.

“Okay, I’ll take the back.” She responded. It was an intriguing move that Adora had purposefully chosen to sit next to Scorpia during this car ride. It was an already known fact that they weren’t the best of friends. This seating arrangement would definitely make this trip fascinating that’s for sure.

“Sure thing.” Catra agreed as Adora started climbing into the van, giving her a perfect view of her ass, and Catra couldn’t resist the urge to poke her girlfriend’s butt when she was about halfway in.

But Adora ignored the physical contact as she sat down in the back seat and started talking again. “It’s so cool that your dads let you borrow their van Bow.”

“Right! It’s our old childhood van, so it’s kind of worn down… honestly that’s probably the only reason that they let me borrow it.” He smiled and let out a chuckle.

“That, and they made me swear that I wouldn’t let him do anything stupid with it.” Glimmer chimed in.

Catra settled into her seat and secured her seatbelt in place before closing the van door. She hadn’t said a word since the group had pulled up and she prayed that no one would notice as she closed the van door. And of course, that didn’t last long as Scorpia and Entrapta immediately leaned in to greet her as Bow put the van into drive and began to pull out of their apartment complexes parking lot.

“Morning Catra!” Scorpia nudged her shoulder with her hand so that she would have to acknowledge her.

Catra turned in her seat to look at her friends to the left of her as Entrapta greeted her too. “Yes! Hello Catra!” She said in her signature squeaky excited voice.

“Hey.” Catra replied in the most unmotivated way possible, she really didn’t want to be spending her spring break with four other people, but where Adora goes she follows.

“How are you?” Scorpia continued.

Catra closed her eyes and exhaled for a second before responding. “Just peachy.” She said as she turned back to face forward in her seat, obviously not wanting to participate in any small talk this morning.

Immediately picking up on her tone of voice, Scorpia attempted to cheer her up. “Awww… come on Catra! We’re going to have so much fun this year!”

“Oh, I bet.” She said in a sarcastic tone before she felt a familiar hand on her left arm.

“She’s just grumpy because we had to wake up early this morning.” Adora said as she rubbed her hand up and down Catra’s arm in attempt to console her.

Catra sighed. “Whatever… just leave me alone during this car ride.” She pulled out a pair of earphones from her pocket before placing them in her ears. “And make sure she (points to Entrapta) doesn’t do anything to me while I’m asleep.”

Entrapta just looked at her with a blank face. During this whole conversation she had been unusually quiet. That’s because she was trying to sneak pictures of Catra on her phone, which did not go unnoticed, but Catra really didn’t care that much right now. She settled into her seat and propped her head up against the window before crossing her arms over her chest.

She closed her eyes as the sound of music filled her head. _That’s one way to start off spring break…_ Catra thought. _Just six hours until we get to the cabin… I can do this…. I can do this…_

* * *

They were about three hours into the trip to the mountains and Catra had fallen asleep sometime between them leaving her shared apartment and now. She realized that someone was trying to wake her up when she felt someone gently shaking her left shoulder. _I swear to god… this better be good._ She internally grumbled until she noticed something else._ Wait, why aren’t we moving?_

She cracked open her eyes and noticed Adora staring down at her, halfway between the back seat and middle row, hunched over within the small confines of the van. Catra took out her earphones before her girlfriend spoke to her.

“Hey, we just got to a rest stop if you want to get something to eat or drink, you can come with me, or stay here. It’s up to you.” Adora spoke softly and her voice sounded better than any of the music that she had been listening to before she fell asleep.

Catra looked out the window and noticed that they were indeed at a rest stop and they she saw that the rest of the van was empty leaving just her and Adora occupying the space. She let out an exhale that she didn’t know she had been holding in. _An opportunity to get out and stretch and to get some snacks would be nice…_

“Yeah, sure I’ll come with.” She said with a smile and reached for the handle to slide open the van door on her side. When she stepped out of the van, she stretched her arms above her head and did a couple of leans to stretch out her sides as well. Adora did the same before reaching out and taking Catra’s hand in her left as the starting walking towards the rest stop building.

Inside, there was a small convenience store to the right, restrooms to the left and a seating area filled with vending machines, games, magazine stands and other items that could be used to pass time in front of them. There were a few sad looking people lounging about in the seating area and Catra spotted Bow by the restrooms, presumably waiting for Glimmer, and she could hear Scorpia and Entrapta raising hell in the convince store.

She felt Adora let go of her hand before speaking. “I’m gonna go to the bathroom. I’ll meet you in the store afterwards?”

“Actually, I should probably go too… especially if we still have a few hours to go until we get there.”

After using the restroom, they walked into the convenience store and it was junk food heaven for Catra. This was the highlight of their trip so far and she wanted to buy everything in sight. But, by the looks of it, her friends were practically clearing the shelves already. Scorpia had her arms full of items and Entrapta just keep piling more snacks onto the stack. And Glimmer and Bow were in the sweet’s aisle, grabbing tooth rotting candies and processed pastries by the handful.

Catra was a simple junk food addict. All she wanted was some hot chips and a soda. So, she walked over with Adora to the chip aisle and picked up the biggest bag she could find and Adora got a bag of salt and vinegar chips. They then walked over to the wall of refrigerated drinks to select their beverages. Catra got her soda and Adora chose a lemonade before they walked over to the checkout counter and paid for their items.

Noticing that Entrapta and Scorpia were still at the checkout counter, Catra immediately seized the opportunity to do something that should have been done three hours ago. She grabbed Adora’s hand and started to drag her out of the convenience store and back to the van. She didn’t see Glimmer and Bow on their way out, so she assumed that they had already returned to the van.

She felt some resistance in her pull as Adora spoke out to her. “Why are we walking so fast.” Then her voice dropped to a low whisper. “Oh my god Catra, did you steal something?”

“What?! No!” Catra was kind of offended. She hadn’t stolen anything in years, but in hindsight maybe she should just had agreed to Adora’s presumption rather than saying what she was about to admit. “I just wanted to get back to the van before Scorpia and Entrapta so we could sit together…”

Adora stopped in her tracks causing Catra to look back at her. When she did her girlfriend had the biggest smile on her face. “Awww… babe.”

Catra rolled her eyes, before turning back around and continuing her walk back towards the van. She smiled when Adora couldn’t see her. “Don’t make a big deal about it.” Her voice didn’t have an ounce of agitation in it though. It was an empty threat and Adora knew it. That would explain why she sped up to match Catra’s pace, still hand in hand, and pulled her closer so that they were practically hip to hip by the time they reached the van. From outside the van, Catra could tell that Glimmer and Bow had now switched seats too, which was a good decision. Bow did not need to be driving the entire six hours solo.

Adora slid open the door and let Catra get in first, and as she was climbing into the back of the van, she felt her girlfriend pinch her butt.

Catra let out an embarrassing small yip, before turning to face her girlfriend, who was still standing outside the van. “Hey!”

“What?” Adora said in the most innocent voice she could muster, pretending to be oblivious.

Catra gave her a look of disbelief. “You pinched my ass!”

She shrugged her shoulders as Catra finally settled down in the backseat were Scorpia had been sitting earlier. “Just returning the favor from earlier Catra.” Adora said nonchalantly. _Oh, so this is how this trip is going to be now, huh?_ Catra thought.

Catra continued her rant as Adora started to climb into the back seat. “I poked you, I didn’t pinch you.”

“It’s the same thing isn’t it?” Adora flashed a smug smile at her after she sat down. She was obviously invoking their conversation that they had this morning when Catra had kicked her out of bed.

Catra squinted at her. “You stubborn little…” She was close to kicking her girlfriend again, until she was interrupted by Scorpia and Entrapta rejoining them.

“Alright! Let’s get this show on the road!” Scorpia exclaimed as she started climbing into the van. She froze when she realized that the back seat was occupied. “Wait…” She looked at Adora, before looking at Catra who just glared back at her. Scorpia ended up sitting in her previous seat in the middle row and Entrapta had to climb over her to reach her seat again.

When everyone was settled in again, they continued their trek to the mountains.

* * *

Her chips and soda were long gone by the time they finally pulled up to the cabin in the mountains where they would be staying for the next week. And if she were being honest, Catra was pleasantly surprised. It looked nice and very well maintained, not rundown and dingy like she had expected. They all got out of the van and picked up their bags before heading inside.

When they walked inside, Catra was almost taken aback by how stunning the interior of it was. It was cabin themed, but it wasn’t overwhelming with the wood aesthetic at all. The main area was open, and the kitchen, living and dining area all seamlessly blended together, but still remained very distinct at the same time. Everything was well decorated and updated. All the appliances in the house looked like they had just been installed and the only thing Catra could think to compare it to would be a home that you would see in any stylist magazine.

Catra leaned in towards Adora and whispered. “This place is really nice.”

She gave her a slightly confused look. “I hope so… Angella owns it. I don’t know why you’re surprised… I’ve told you this before.”

“Right.” She lied, Catra honestly did not recall her girlfriend telling her that the president of the university owned the cabin that they would be spending their spring break in. _Wow Sparkles must be fucking rich_. She thought before continuing. “I guess I just wasn’t expecting it to be this fancy.” She said before looking around the inside of the house again.

“Yeah, I guess it is really nice.” Adora agreed as she looked around too.

Glimmer cleared her throat to get everyone’s attention. “First off, welcome to my family home!” She smiled as she gestured to the area around her. “I figured that this would be the perfect opportunity to figure out sleeping arrangements, before settling in…” The group nodded in approval. “Okay, so there are three bedrooms upstairs.” Glimmer continued. “Two of them have bunk beds and the master only had one bed.” She looked at Adora and then Catra. “I figured you two could take the master if you don’t mind…”

Catra was internally combusting from all the joy that she was holding in right now. _Oh my god! A bedroom with my girlfriend all by ourselves?! Yes, please!_ But she played it cool. “Sounds good to me, Adora?” She nudged her girlfriend’s shoulder.

She was grinning. “Yeah, works for me.” Then Glimmer and Adora shared a seemingly knowing wink that certainly did not go unnoticed by Catra. _The fuck was that wink for? _She thought._ Wait… did they plan this all out beforehand?_ She blushed a little._ Wow, that’s actually really sweet… and maybe Adora isn’t as oblivious to me wanting some alone time with her during this trip as I thought she was…_

Glimmer then spoke up again. “Alright, and the other two rooms are practically the same so we can sort that out when we get upstairs, okay?” She received another approving nod for the group.

They then moved back to the foyer of the house and picked up their bags that they had dropped at the entrance a couple of minutes ago, prior to being awestruck by Glimmer’s family home. Bags in hand, they all walked up the stairs to a large hallway that was lined with doors leading to rooms, bathrooms and closets. Glimmer pointed towards the master bedroom and Catra and Adora took that as a go ahead to make their way to the room.

Catra flung open the double doors to the room and inside the master bedroom lie a king-sized bed, with the comfiest looking blankets and pillows practically overflowing from its surface. She couldn’t resist it’s pull; Catra dropped her bags on the floor and sprinted towards the bed before jumping and landing in a cloud of comfort. She had to have sunk into the covers a good six inches and she felt completely at peace as she let out a long exhale.

She heard her girlfriend giggling behind her from somewhere within the room. Catra couldn’t exactly tell where since her face was buried in the covers at the moment. “Are you comfy Catra?” She asked.

“Mmhhmm.” She hummed before lifting her face from the covers. “We need to get a bed like this for our apartment Adora.” Catra said before faceplanting again to breathe in the fresh scent of the duvet. _They have to have a maid, right? There’s no way that Angella or Glimmer drove up her to fix up the place before spring break. Maybe they made Micah do it? That poor guy would be whipped, wouldn’t he? _The thought made her laugh.

“I don’t think we could fit this in our room.” Adora giggled again and Catra rolled over on her back to look at her. This was literally the comfiest bed that she had ever laid in.

“Ughhh…” Catra contested. “But we need it!” She stretched her arms out in the direction of Adora. “You have to try it…”

She then saw a devious smile spread across her girlfriend’s face. “Okay, but you asked for this.” Adora said as she finally set the bags down near the door.

_Asked for what?_ Catra thought before she saw her girlfriend full on sprinting towards the bed too. _Oh no! I am not getting crushed by her right now! _And as Adora was about to jump onto the bed, Catra rolled out of the way before she could be squashed. The whole bed sprang back, when her girlfriend finally hit its surface and Catra felt quite pleased with herself for managing to escape one of Adora’s attacks.

Now, Adora was lying face first into the duvet with her arms raised above her head. Catra observed the curves of her girlfriend’s body, and how the covers seemed to conform around her, until she realized that another opportunity had just presented itself. Adora was just lying there, and to Catra that meant she was asking for this. She started to move towards her as she began to speak. “You know, this **is** really comfortable.” Adora said before letting out a long exhale of contentment. It seemed like this bed could relax just about anyone and that was an achievement in itself.

Catra continued her approach until her knees were just about to touch her girlfriend’s right hip. “I told you.” She smiled as she raised her arms. “Oh, and Adora?”

“Hm?”

“This is payback for earlier.” Catra said in a mischievous tone.

“Wha…” But Adora was unable to finish her question as Catra pounced and sunk her fingers into her sides causing her to let out the mostly shrill laugh that an adult woman could make. As Adora began to squirm, Catra moved to straddle her hips so she could effectively pin her down as she continued to dance her fingers up and down her girlfriend’s sides and back. _Now this is fun!_ Catra thought. _Ahhhhhhh… sweet, sweet revenge…_

Through her fit of giggles, Adora tried to speak. “Ca… ahahahaha… Catra… Sto… ahahahaha… p.” Her laugh was music to Catra’s ears and seeing Adora in such a state of distress caused from tickling her was fucking hilarious.

“You gotta tap out Adora.” Catra smiled down at her, and with that simple statement Adora began hitting the bed with her right hand as hard as she could. Catra continued her attack for a few more seconds before stopping and resting her hands on Adora sides.

Her laughter died down and her breathing was deep and heavy as she caught her breath. “Ah… Okay… Phew.” Adora said between exhales and after a few more seconds her breathing started to even out. She turned her head to the left so she could peep over her shoulder at Catra who was still sitting on her. Adora’s face was a beautiful shade of red, probably from the tickles, but also from Catra’s position on her right now. “What was that for?”

“It was a reminder for you to not mess with me.” She smiled at her as she crawled off of Adora. “Plus, I just wanted to be petty about you pinching my ass earlier.” Catra said with a laugh.

And before Adora could respond they heard a loud voice calling to them. “Hey! We’re going to go for a walk if you want to join us!” Bow shouted from down the hallway. “Or you can continue doing whatever you’re doing in there! Honestly, we’re too scared to look!”

“Don’t worry! I was just teaching Adora a lesson!” Catra shouted back as she winked at her girlfriend who had turned over onto her back during this conversation. Her face was still flushed.

“That doesn’t sound any better!” Bow continued to shout.

“She doesn’t mean that Bow!” Adora interjected. “She was just tickling me!”

“Gay!” Glimmer’s voice echoed down the hallway as she chimed in.

“Glimmer!” Bow reprimanded her before continuing. “Well, meet us downstairs in five if you want to join us!” And with that, they heard the sound of footsteps descending the staircase.

Adora sat up in the bed before speaking. “Well, you already know that I want to go. Do you?”

_Do I want to go on a god knows how long hike in the middle of the forest with four other idiots, not really._ Catra thought, but she knew better than to say that out loud. She didn’t want to upset Adora so she decided to go with, “If you want me to go with you, I will…”

“Really?!” She sounded kind of shocked.

“Yes, Adora.”

“That’s great!” She said as she climbed out of bed. “Come on!”

And just like that Adora had bolted out of the room and down the stairs to meet back up with their friends. Catra reluctantly pulled herself out of the worlds comfiest bed and followed her girlfriends path downstairs. She was not looking forward to this walk…

* * *

Much to her surprise, the walk through the mountains wasn’t as bad as Catra thought it would be. It was quite scenic, and she enjoyed the overall quietness of the woods until Entrapta started pulling out her voice recorder and sample vials from her many pockets in her overalls.

“Spring break entry twenty-seven…” _Twenty-seven?!_ Catra mentally exclaimed. “…I have observed many small woodland creatures and have collected vegetal samples from the forest floor…” She paused. “May use them in an experiment later.”

_I know that one of us is probably going to regret that later…_ Catra continued to think about what Entrapta could possibly have collected. _Moss? Not really anything she could do with that… Dirt? Probably just studying the organisms in it… What else is out here? Oh god. Poison ivy? I don’t even want to think about that!_

This whole time, Catra had been traveling behind the pack so to speak, she really wanted to be somewhere else right now, but Adora looked so happy talking to Glimmer and Bow in front of her and Scorpia was busy ‘assisting’ Entrapta. She was feeling kind of left out, and she needed to change that somehow, without disrupting the overall harmony of their group.

Catra looked around her to see if there was anything that they could do and that’s when she noticed that they were approaching a lake that was just a little off trail. _That’s a good start._ She thought before speaking up. “Hey, guys?” She received a yeah, hm, and what’s up from the group. “Do you think we could walk over to that lake? Catra pointed to it with her thumb.

“That lake? It’s kind of boring…” Glimmer stated.

“Aw, come on Glimmer!” Adora spoke up. She always had Catra’s back. “It can’t be that bad. I was honestly going to ask the same thing too.”

“Yeah Glimmer! Let’s go check it out!” Bow urged on.

“I would very much like to observe the vegetation close to the pond too!” Entrapta chimed in.

“If everyone else is in, I’m in!” Scorpia sounded off.

“Fine…” Glimmer reluctantly gave in and started leading the group through an unmaintained path that led to the lake. Adora fell back this time, opting to walk with her girlfriend now and she held branches and overgrown grasses out of the way for her as they walked. It was such a simple gesture, but it warmed Catra heart.

The path began opening up and when they were in the clear, the lake was a lot smaller than it had looked from the other trail. It was more of a pond than anything and it kind of reeked, probably since the water was mostly still and not running like the rivers and creeks they had passed earlier. But it was still far more interesting to Catra than the woods were. She walked closer to the pond and picked up a smooth flat stone from the lake’s shore before she slung it across the water’s surface like a frisbee. It skipped two times before sinking into the water. _Hmmm… this could be fun…_

Catra cleared her thought to gain the attention of the group. “I propose a challenge.”

“What kind of challenge?” Bow questioned with a raised eyebrow.

“A rock skipping competition. One rock, one throw, whoever gets the most skips wins…” Catra crossed her arms over her chest. “…and whoever loses has to make dinner.”

“You just want an easy dinner out of this.” Adora said through a laugh.

_Obviously._ “Do we have a deal?”

“You’re on!” Bow exclaimed.

“Bring it!” Scorpia said as she started digging through the sand for the perfect rock already.

“Yes!” Entrapta said excitedly.

Adora had folder her arms over her chest and had a too smug of a look on her face. “Of course.”

“Sure…” Glimmer droned. It was almost as if she already knew she was going to lose.

Now that everyone was on board for this impromptu competition, they all joined Scorpia in looking around at the ground for the perfect rock. Bow decided that he wanted to go first. He lined up his rock before slinging it across its surface and it skipped three time before sinking. Adora was up next and her rock skipped once and Catra laughed at her before she slung her rock which skipped five times! Scorpia’s rock skipped twice and Entrapta’s three times.

Then it was Glimmer’s turn. She walked up to the edge of the pond with the most defeated look on her face and she hadn’t even gone yet. Noticing this Bow shouted, “we believe in you!” before she threw her rock. It sailed through the air and landed directly into the water with a kerplunk sound. Catra damn near doubled over with laughter and the others let out their own chuckles before consoling Glimmer and telling her that she was a good sport for participating in the first place.

Catra was declared the winner and with that, the group started their walk back to the cabin.

* * *

When they got back home, the group noticed that they kind of smelled and the woodsy musk wasn’t adding to the ambiance right now. They needed to get clean, the sooner the better. Glimmer, Entrapta and Adora all decided to take their showers first. And when Adora returned she was wearing a pair of jeans, a white tank top and a red plaid button down over it. Her arrival signaled to Catra that it was her turn to take a shower now too.

After her shower, Catra headed back downstairs, opting to change into a pair or legging and a loose t-shirt too, and what she saw while walking down the stairs surprised her. _What the fuck is this? Jock fest?_ She thought as she observed Adora and Scorpia doing pushups in the middle of the living room. Catra also noticed that Bow was standing in front of them, while Entrapta sat on the couch behind them taking notes and Glimmer was in keeping up her end of the deal by preparing something for dinner in the kitchen. Unlike Adora, Glimmer was rumored to be a really good cook and Catra was low-key excited to taste some of her food and kind of glad that she had lost the rock skipping competition. Not like she would ever admit that out loud of course.

She continued walking down the stairs and into the living room, where Adora and Scorpia were still doing pushups. “What is this?” She gestured to the two women as she spoke to Bow who was apparently some kind of referee in this contest.

Bow sighed. “The three of us were all sitting on the couch having a normal conversation, until these two muscle heads started talking about their gym routine, how much they could bench press, blah blah blah. You know these two…” Bow kept his eyes on the girls the entire time he was talking to Catra. “Anyway, one thing led to another and Scorpia ended up challenging Adora to see who could do the most pushups… and of course she couldn’t refuse because she’s never one to give up a challenge.

_I know that’s right…_ Catra thought before speaking. “So, what number are they on now?”

“Twenty-five… twenty-six… twenty-seven…” Bow counted aloud as Catra continued to watch and with each pushup their pace began to slow, exertion quickly catching up with them. And of course, Catra didn’t miss the small little detail that Adora had taken off the god-awful plaid shirt and was now just in her tank up and jeans. These pushups were doing wonders for biceps on display right now and Catra was kind of enamored.

Bow continued counting. “Thirty-nine… forty…” The girls were really struggling now. It looked like they were physically fighting with their own bodies to keep going. Scorpia’s whole upper body was shaking as she strained to keep going and Adora looked like she was moving in slow motion. “forty-five… forty-six…”

With gritted teeth Adora spoke. “I’m not gonna give up Scorpia!”

“Who said anything about giving up?” Scorpia snapped back at her.

_God, these idiots are going to hurt themselves if they keep going._ Catra thought as she continued to watch and listen to the sound of Glimmer’s cooking, Entrapta’s pen tapping against her tablet as she typed out observations on her tablet, and Bow’s counting. _How can I put a stop to this?_

She smirked as an idea popped into her head. “Adora, if you don’t stop… I’m breaking up with you.”

That caused her girlfriend’s form to falter and her arms finally gave out on her, causing her to collapse onto the ground. “What?!” Adora semi-shouted as she lay on the floor.

“Yes! I win!” Scorpia cheered as she fell to the floor too, panting heavily. “fifty-two that’s not bad…”

Adora quickly sat up and looked directly at her girlfriend. “Catra! What did you say?”

She shrugged her shoulders. “Nothing.” Adora glared at her. “Well you don’t have to worry about that now since you stopped.”

“Catra, that’s not funny…” Adora said as she looked away from Catra and to the ground.

_Oh shit… did I actually hurt her feelings?_ Catra thought. _Why does this always happen?!_

Adora looked slightly heartbroken, and she was pouting, as Catra squatted down in front of her. She reached out her right hand and gently placed it on the side of Adora’s chin so she could turn her head and look her in the eyes. “Adora, I’m sorry and I should never have jeopardized our relationship like that… even if I only meant it as a joke.”

A huge smile then split across Adora’s face. “Got you.” She said as she busted out laughing.

_Wait… why is she laughing? Did she just trick me?!_ Catra glared at her girlfriend as she was laughing. “You bitch!” She finally said in a playful tone as she pushed against Adora’s shoulders, knocking her back a couple of inches, before standing up.

Adora’s laughter was dying down as she stood up too before hugging her girlfriend around the side and kissing her left cheek. “I’m just playing Catra.” She said sweetly.

_Oh, if she wants to play, I’ll play…_ Catra thought as she turned her head far enough so that she was by her ear. “Don’t worry about it Adora…” She grinned. “It just means you haven’t learned your lesson yet.” She pulled back so she could look her girlfriend directly in the eyes, just to make sure the message was clear.

Adora cheeks almost instantly had a bright red tinge to them and she cleared her throat. “What lesson?” She asked and only received a wink in response from Catra.

“You two are too much.” Bow said. _Whoops. Almost forgot that we’re being watched…_

“Very interesting…” Entrapta whispered to herself on the couch. _Guess that’s making it into her relationship records…_ The thought made her shiver. _Someone having almost every development in your relationship is weird, right? Like I can’t be the only one who thinks that._

“Dinner’s done!” Glimmer shouted from the kitchen and Catra was glad to have a little reprieve in being observed and by being teased by her girlfriend.

After gathering their meals from the kitchen, they sat down in the living room with their plates of food and quickly devoured their dinners. Glimmer really was a good cook and Catra was grateful to have an actual meal in her stomach right now, instead of just chips and soda from earlier. She even went at got seconds before returning her plate to the kitchen and propping her feet up on Adora’s lap when she got back to the couch before pulling out her phone and noticing that it had no signal and pocketing it. To be fair, it was the first time that she had checked her phone all day… she was actually having fun with her friends.

Catra then felt Adora run her thumb up the bottom of her left foot with a slight pressure. Usually, she didn’t like having anyone touch her feet, but this actually felt nice after hiking a few miles in the woods this afternoon. “You can barely see anything anymore.” Adora suddenly spoke as their friends chatted around them.

“What?” Catra said after furrowing her brows. She was pretty confused.

“Your scar.”

She had completely forgotten about the scar on her foot that she had acquired at the beach before the beginning of this school year. “How did you even remember that Adora?”

Her girlfriend smiled. “I know every imperfection that you have, because they make you who you are and that’s perfect in my eyes.” Adora said that sentence with the most sincere and sweet tone of voice Catra had ever heard.

_Jesus, what did I do to deserve her?_ Catra thought, but she couldn’t let her guard down that easily in front of all her friends. She had a reputation to protect after all, even if she knew that they knew that her hard exterior was beginning to fade.

Catra smiled back at Adora before pulling her left foot from her girlfriend’s hand and gently kicking her thigh. “You haven’t seen **all** my imperfections Adora.” She said before raising and lowering her eyebrows. Honestly, Catra couldn’t get any more obvious about what she wanted from Adora at this point.

Adora rolled her eyes like she was annoyed, but the faint blush on her cheeks suggested that she knew exactly what her girlfriend was getting at. _So, she does know what I want…_ Catra pondered. _Then why hasn’t she acted on it yet?_

She continued to think as she returned her feet to Adora’s lap and examined the rest of the room. In addition to Adora sitting on the right side of the couch and Catra taking up the majority of the left side, Scorpia was sitting in a chair with her feet propped up to the left of them, and Entrapta was sitting cross legged on a large foot stool covered in blankets to the right of them. And Glimmer and Bow were sitting across from them on the floor on fluffy pillows that remind Catra of beanbag chairs, but they were a lot fancier than any beanbag chair she’s ever seen.

The room grew quiet as their individual conversations died down. Glimmer was the one to break the silence first.

“What do you guys want to do now?” She said in a curious tone.

The sun had set a while ago, so it was too dark to do anything outside or to do anything rigorous for that matter. And their group of friends looked too comfortable to move from their current position anyway. Plus, they had already done enough physical activity today in Catra’s opinion.

“We could watch a movie?” Scorpia suggested.

“Nah.” Adora responded. They had their monthly movie night not too long ago and neither her nor Catra were up for another movie binge night so soon.

“We could make friendship bracelets?” Bow said. Voice filled with excitement as he clutched his hands to his chest.

“Lame.” Catra replied and Bow’s posture quickly deflated.

“I could finally collect my remaining hair samples from you guys.” Entrapta suggested. _Wait, remaining samples? Does that mean she already has some hair samples from us_? Catra shivered. _This girl sure does a lot of biological research for being a mechanical engineer major… I’m calling it, she’s gonna be the one to create humanoid androids…_

“Uh, hard pass.” Scorpia said what everyone was thinking.

“We could play truth or dare?” Glimmer suggested confidently like she had been planning this all night.

Catra rolled her eyes. “What are we, five?” She scoffed.

“Oh, are you too high and mighty to play Catra?” Glimmer challenged.

“Watch it Sparkles.” She bit back, but her tone wasn’t as nearly as harsh as it had been with her at the beginning of this school year. Her tone was actually somewhat playful and Catra really didn’t mind Glimmer that much after she had that emotional breakdown in front of her during the homecoming game a few months ago. Their friendship was different, but there was definitely some sort of bond there.

“I’d actually be kinda down with truth or dare.” Scorpia shrugged her shoulders.

“Me too.” Bow said.

“This could be a fascinating social experiment!” Entrapta cheered as she began opening an app on her tablet and typing out some notes.

“I’ll play, if Catra plays.” Adora said as she asked with a sweet look on her face as she turned her head left to look right at her girlfriend.

“Okay.” Catra grumbled.

“Alright, truth or dare it is.” Glimmer said with that smug little look on her face that pissed off Catra, but also made her want to laugh at how cocky she was.

The game went on, back and forth throughout the group, for a few rounds. Scorpia was dared to eat a can of god knows what that had apparently been in Glimmer’s pantry for a couple of years, which she almost immediately threw up afterwards. She wisely chose truth her next turn and admitted that she doesn’t like people assuming ‘turned out gay’ just because she has two moms, which Bow immediately chimed in on, relating her story to his two dads.

Speaking about Bow, during the first round he chose truth and when questioned by Glimmer if he had ever not liked having twelve adopted siblings he said. “Things can get a little chaotic at times and we fight just like every other family, but I love each and every one of them and I couldn’t imagine my life without them.” _Such a Bow answer._ Catra thought. _But that is really sweet… too sweet…_ The second round he chose dare and Catra dared him to go out onto the balcony and scream as loud as he could into the woods. Why? Because he looked like he needed it. And he did not disappoint. The group could hear his howl from inside the living room and he looked a lot more relaxed when he came back outside.

Furiously scribbling away on her tablet was Entrapta. She chose dare the first time and Scorpia dared her to not use her tablet for the rest of the night. Scorpia sounded like a concerned parent trying to monitor their kids screen time and it was a pitiful sight as Entrapta slowly tucked away her tablet back into her overalls. Then Adora asked her to tell the truth about why she was conducting a compatibility test within their friend group in which she replied; “It is not a ‘compatibility test,’ Adora, I was studying the relationships and bonds within out friend group to see who has the closest attachment to one another. And my research was almost complete expect I couldn’t figure out what was different between your bond with Catra, but now I know what it is.” She smiled warmly at the two of them before continuing. “You have romantic love as opposed to platonic love, like Glimmer and Bow.” This caused Adora and Catra to share a quick glance at one another. Had they told each other that the love each other? Not since they started dating… it was kind of confusing when they should bring up… Entrapta was right. Their love was different now and that was another thing that they would have to talk about in the future.

Then it was Catra’s turn. Being the wildcard that she is… she always chose dare when she played this game. She loved the unexpected and she just hoped that her friends wouldn’t be a letdown. Her first dare was given by Bow, who challenged her to run up and down the stairs ten times. _So much for no more physical activity…_ She thought to herself as she ran up and down the stairs as quickly as she could before returning the couch. Her second dare was to down the rest of the half empty bottle of chocolate syrup in the fridge. She sauntered her way over the fridge before reaching for the bottle, opening it and squeezing it into her mouth. Straight up chocolate syrup didn’t taste as good by itself as it did mixed into milk or ice cream, not to mention that it was excessively sweet. It was harder than she thought, and she didn’t even want to think about how many calories she had just consumed, but she completed her challenge in less than five minutes. Which impressed everyone in the room.

Glimmer was up next, and she started off her turn by choosing a dare. Entrapta ended up daring her to eat some super spicy candy that they had bought at the convenience store earlier today. Which she handled like a champ, but Catra doubted that the candy was that spicy in the first place. Maybe because she was just used to spicy foods in general. Then she chose truth for her second round and Entrapta asked her who she was most attracted to in this room right now. Her face flushed a little, before she scanned the crowd, like she was observing them one by one, until she landed on Catra and looked her over for a moment and then Adora, before she answered. “Myself.” _What a piece of work._ Catra thought as she glared at her. The answer was obviously Adora, but who knows, maybe she was that narcissistic. But, Catra doubted that.

Then there was Adora and she always chose truth. For her first truth, Bow asked which parent she liked more, in which she truthfully responded, “My Dad, I guess? He was around more often than my Mom since she was always traveling for work… but they are both really strict… like if they ever found out that I got arrested they would probably kill me.” She looked around the room. “Seriously…” Adora got a few looks from the group. “Okay, maybe not seriously, but they would definitely never let me out of ten-foot radius of them ever again.” Catra didn’t doubt that. That’s probably why she had reasoned with Adora that she had told Angella about her getting arrested instead of her parents in the first place.

The game continued to go on, and it was all good and fun until it was Glimmer’s turn to ask again and Catra could feel the atmosphere change around them. She had a gut feeling that Glimmer was planning something, but Catra didn’t know what is could possibly be. She just prayed that they could finish this truth or dare session without anyone losing their shit.

“Adora. Truth or dare?” Glimmer asked with a sneaky smile on her face and Catra eyed her as she took this moment to drink some water.

“Truth.” She answered. It was her second turn.

“Have you and Catra had sex yet?” She asked blatantly, like it was totally normal question to ask.

Catra nearly spit out the water that she had just been sipping on and her eyes went wide. “WHAT THE FUCK KIND OF QUESTION IS THAT GLIMMER?!?!?!” She shouted in complete shock.

Glimmer’s smile fell. “I mean, with as much flirting and sexual tension that you guys had going on just today, you definitely need too…” She shrugged her shoulders.

Catra stood from the couch and spread her arms out wide in front of her. “YOU DON’T JUST ASK THAT!!!!”

Adora had remained unusually silent this whole time and when Catra glanced over at her, her body was rigid, and her face was flushed. Adora was obviously extremely embarrassed right now and when she gets that way, there’s no telling what she’ll do next. Unpredictable, just like when Catra gets scared or confused. She suddenly got up from the couch and ran up the stairs as quickly as she could without saying a word. The whole group heard the master bedroom door slam shut as she flung it closed.

Catra had watched her girlfriend flee until she was no longer in sight, before turning back to face her friends after hearing the door slam shut. “Way to go Glimmer!” She huffed as she started to walk towards the staircase. “Now I have to fix this!” She flailed her left arm in the air as a sign of annoyance.

She heard the group bicker amongst each other as she headed up the stairs and she thought to herself as she walked down the hallway towards that bedroom that seemed to be twice as long as it had been earlier today. _What was she thinking?! That question was totally uncalled for! And now Adora is upset and I’m riled up… It’s not a good situation for anyone!_

Catra took a few deep breaths to steady herself when she reached the end of the hallway. She listened through the door briefly and it seemed like her girlfriend wasn’t crying which was a good thing. She placed her hand on the door latch and when she opened the door to the room, she saw Adora sitting on the left side of the bed hunched over with her elbows on her knees and her face in her hands.

“Adora? Can I come in?” She spoke softly so she wouldn’t spook her.

“I guess…” Her response was muffled through her hands.

Catra opened the door fully, and she slipped into the room, before closing it behind her again. She slowly approached the left side of the bed and sat down next to Adora when she finally reached her. Adora didn’t acknowledge her at all. She kept her hunched over position and she refused to look at Catra.

_She looks utterly defeated_. Catra thought as she placed her right hand on Adora’s back and stroked her reassuringly before speaking. “Look at me Adora.”

“No.” Adora said as she dropped her hands from her face and turned her head right so Catra could only see the back of her head.

“Adora, please?” She pleaded.

“No.” She repeated.

Catra got off the bed and squatted down in front of Adora, so she could get a better look at her face. She still wasn’t looking at her when she called out again. “Adora.” Her name sounded more like a demand now, and slowly but surely did her girlfriend turn to face her.

She still refused to make eye contact though. “What?” She said in a dreary tone.

“Why did you run off?” Catra asked fondly and Adora shrugged her shoulders. “I know it’s because of what Glimmer asked… but why does that embarrass you?” She asked as she reached up for Adora’s right hand and slowly pulled it away from her lap so she could hold it in her own.

Adora’s eyes darted around the room for a few seconds as she contemplated, before she spoke. “I don’t know… I guess… I just… don’t want to disappoint you…” She said softly.

“Disappoint me how?”

“You know…” She droned as she continued to look away again.

Catra giggled slightly. “Adora, you can talk to me about sex. I’m your girlfriend.”

“Well…”

“Well, what?” She quirked a brow. “Do you not want to have sex with me?”

Adora finally locked eyes with Catra. “Nonononono! That’s not what I mean!”

_Look who has a libido after all._ Catra thought as she smiled. “Then what do you mean?”

“I mean… we’ve been best friends our entire lives….”

_Obviously…_ “Right.”

“And now you’re my girlfriend…”

_Already said that…_ “Uh huh.”

“And I’m just kind of nervous to take that next step with you…”

“Why?”

Catra felt Adora squeeze her hand before speaking. “Because Catra, you mean the world to me and you deserve the best… And I don’t want to do anything with you, that you wouldn’t want to do… Or not be able to satisfy you…” Adora was rambling now. “And I know that you want to… I’m not oblivious… I’m just…” She sighed and spoke barely above a whisper as she continued. “I’m just afraid that that somehow… I’ll mess it all up…”

Catra then stood up from her position on the ground and took a hold of her girlfriend’s face in her hands as she looked down at her. “Adora, there’s nothing that you could possibly do that would make me leave you.” She stroked her left hand through her hair before continuing with a smile. “Plus, there’s nothing to be afraid of as long as we’re together, right?”

Adora finally smiled. “Right.”

They held each other’s gazes for an intense moment. It felt like Catra was looking into her soul through those beautiful ocean eyes of hers. It made her shiver and rose goosebumps on her skin. Then, Adora spoke up again. “I love you.”

_Of course, she would say that now!_ Catra shouted in her head, but she couldn’t be happier, and her smile couldn’t be any bigger. “I love you too.” She said sweetly as she started to lean in for a kiss. And in that moment, when their lips finally met, Catra could feel the truth behind those three words and it was unlike anything she had ever experienced. It felt warm, calming, comforting, safe, but most of all… it felt addicting. Catra needed more of it.

She pushed harder against Adora as she brushed her tongue against her girlfriend’s lower lip, silently asking for entry, and when she was granted access, she sighed into the kiss.

Adora giggled. “You taste like chocolate.”

Catra smiled. It was such an Adora thing to say and what could she say? It was cute. _What a dork. _She thought as she continued kissing her girlfriend. _An dork that’s in love with me, and I guess I’m in love with that dork too. That’s why everything she does is fucking perfect!_

But then Catra felt Adora do something different. She took her bottom lip between her teeth and bit down just hard enough to illicit a gasp from Catra as she moved back until her lip slipped from her teeth and snapped back into place.

_Oh, really?_ Catra thought as she pulled away just enough to look directly at Adora. She looked back at her with unsure, yet expectant eyes all the while biting her own lip. It was almost as if she was waiting for her girlfriend’s approval. Catra smirk at her. _Look who’s trying to get frisky now. I guess, this talk really did help us…_ She thought before leaning back in.

When she returned the kiss this time, there was something different about it. Was it still full of love? Of course. But there was more passion and it grew more fervent as time went on. She felt her body warm as Adora reached for her neck and threaded her fingers through her curls on the back of her head. And then suddenly, Catra needed to be closer to Adora. She needed every inch of her body pressed up against her girlfriends.

She picked up her right foot off the ground before planting it next to Adora’s thigh on the bed and repeated the same with her left, effectively straddling her girlfriend’s lap, before draping her arms around her shoulders. Catra really wished she could see the look on Adora’s face right now, but the ragged gasp that she got in return was enough of a reward for her.

With her body now flush against Adora’s, she was feeling better, but it still wasn’t enough. And her state of mind certainly didn’t improve when she felt Adora’s hands drag down her arms and stop to rest on her hips. This was already different than any make out session that they had before, and Catra was feeling utterly drunk on Adora right now.

She moved her hands from around Adora’s neck and slipped them under the collar of her unbuttoned shirt. Catra’s new objective was to get Adora out of that god-awful plaid shirt. She slowly moved her hands across her girlfriend’s shoulders, pushing the shirt down along the way, until she felt the straps of the tank and bra that she was wearing underneath. And when it was finally about to fall off her shoulders, Catra felt Adora remove her hands from her hips, strip the shirt of the rest of the way, before tossing it somewhere in the room where it landed with a soft thud.

Now free of her plaid shirt, Adora brought her hands back to Catra’s hips and rubbed smalls circles with her thumbs into them. And oh, was that doing something to Catra too. Her skin grew hotter and she felt like she was on fire. Catra wasn’t usually one to get turned on from such simple gestures, but she was weak for Adora and every small thing that she did set Catra ablaze.

She pulled away from the kiss and when she looked at Adora, her eyes were half lidded and her mouth was pink and swollen from all the kissing. She didn’t realize how heavily they were breathing until now too. Adora’s chest rose and fell in sync with her own and they were both trying to catch their breath why they smiled at each other.

Catra decided that Adora needed a breather when the side of her neck caught her attention next. Shedding that shirt had done wonders to reveal more of Adora’s skin to Catra and she grinned as she dove back in. She ran her tongue across her neck first and she felt Adora shiver underneath her as she inhaled in a shaky breath. Catra retuned her mouth to Adora’s neck before biting down and sucking hard. Her skin tasted salty, probably from doing all those pushups earlier, but the reaction that she got was exactly what she needed.

“Catra…” Adora breathed out and she knew that she wanted to hear her name said like that a thousand times over.

She removed her mouth from the spot on Adora’s neck that she had been going to town on and when she looked down at it, the spot was already starting to purple and Adora would definitely have a hickey in the morning. The thought made Catra shiver from excitement. The idea of people knowing that she did that to Adora, that she ‘belonged’ to someone stoked the embers in the fire already burning in her stomach.

Catra continued to pepper Adora’s skin with kisses as she hooked the fingers on her right hand under the straps of Adora’s tank and bra and slowly dragged them down her shoulder. And she was almost complete with that mission too until Adora reached for Catra’s chin, turned her head, and caught her mouth with her own again.

Catra had been too preoccupied with Adora’s neck and shoulder that she hadn’t even noticed that Adora had been messing with the hemline of her own shirt, until she felt her fingers brushing against her lower stomach and slowly making their way up to her chest. Having Adora’s hands on her body in this way after so many years of longing and yearning made her want to melt into a puddle on the floor.

She felt like she was high on love, if that’s even possible, and she never wanted this moment to end.

Well, imagine their reaction when their fun abruptly came to an end. This whole time, they were too consumed by one another to realize that their door was being opened. It was only when they heard a voice that they froze in place as they looked to the door.

“Hey, guys. About what I said earlier…” Glimmer stopped mid-sentence when she realized what she was looking at.

There they were. Catra full on straddling Adora’s lap and pressed so close to her body that they would become one person if they got any closer. Not to mention that her girlfriend’s hands were halfway up her shirt currently. And Adora was missing her plaid button down, half of her tank and bra straps were pushed off her shoulder, and she had a blossoming hickey on her neck.

Glimmer’s mouth fell open in shock as she looked at Catra then at Adora, before quickly turning around, walking out the door and closing it before shouting, “I think they’re good, guys!” down the hallway. They then heard footsteps stomping down the stairs and a couple of screams coming from the living room caused by Glimmer telling the group what she had just witnessed.

Catra looked back at Adora and it was the first time since they started this spontaneous make out session that she could see clearly, and her girlfriend look like a hot mess and she honestly probably didn’t look any better. Adora’s ponytail was disheveled, her face was flushed a deep red and her lips were even puffier and swollen then from the last time she had looked.

And now that the moment was effectively ruined by Glimmer barging in on them, Catra began to scoot away from Adora and felt her hands reluctantly slip from her shirt as she stood up and stretched. She fixed her shirt as she watched Adora readjust her shoulder straps and straighten out her ponytail

“Well, that was fun princess.” Catra said with a smirk as searched the room from Adora’s shirt and tossed it at her after finding it on the other side of the bed on the floor.

“Yeah… It was…” She breathed out still clearly in somewhat of a daze.

“And look! You didn’t disappoint me!” She said enthusiastically and Adora just stared back at her knowingly. “I mean… I am kind of disappointed that we didn’t get any further, but that’s Glimmer’s fault.” She shrugged her shoulders.

Adora laughed. “It’s our fault for not remembering to lock the door too.”

Catra nodded. “True, but they should know better than to leave two horny lesbians in a room alone together for that long and not expect anything to happen.” Then she smirked. “Anyway, there’s always next time.” She said as she slowly began making her way to the door. “And we should probably be heading back downstairs now, so they don’t make any more presumptions about what’s happening…”

“Next time?” Adora called out excitedly as Catra was halfway out the door.

She turned back around and pointed at her and winked. “Next time.”

Catra walked down the hallway and slowly crept down the stairs and she was met by four pairs of eyes staring back at her. She sighed. Catra was definitely not looking forward to explaining this one and it was definitely going to be an interesting six more days of spring break that’s for sure…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oooooooo things are heating up! And I’m really sorry to tease you guys like that, but I already told you that the romance in this story was going to be a slow burn lol. Also, you can’t tell me that Glimmer wouldn’t be a total cock block, even if it wasn’t on purpose. Anyway, I wish you all luck while watching season 4, please try not to cry too much… and keep Catradora in your thoughts…
> 
> Question: I know a lot of you are disappointed that this fic will be coming to an end soon, so I was thinking about adding it to a series in case I want to continue it after a time skip or something along those lines. Maybe one-shots? Would you guys like that?
> 
> Next Chapter: The girls go on a formal date and Catra makes sure she gets the ending to the night she wants. Or, smut? Smut.
> 
> Update: November 20, 2019
> 
> Follow me on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/simplyabsolute1) and/or [Tumblr](https://simplyabsolute.tumblr.com/) for updates and other SPOP nonsense.
> 
> Art:  
[Getting caught by Glimmer Scene](https://mistbix.tumblr.com/post/189853151188/simplyabsolute-commissioned-me-this-scene-from) by @mistbix


	9. The Date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ever since that failed hookup attempt during spring break, Catra and Adora have been trying to get romantic any chance that they got, but it seems like the universe is working against them as every attempt ends in failure. Adora suggests that they should wait and plan something out. You know, instead of relying on spur of the moment opportunities during their hectic school schedule. Eventually, they decide on a date and Catra is determined to get the happy ending that she wants.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again! Sorry this took me so long to get out… it’s been a chaotic couple of weeks for me, but I hope this chapter makes up for the wait! Also, as you can see, I have added this fic to a series. So be sure to either subscribe to the series directly or to my profile! 
> 
> I should probably also say that this chapter contains smut, but as an fyi I have marked the start of it in the story in case your want to skip over that part. (It happens pretty late in the chapter)
> 
> Visual References:  
[Catra's Outfit](https://www.pinterest.com/pin/627759635543854620/) and [Adora's Outfit](https://www.pinterest.com/pin/237705686569645464/)
> 
> Timeline: April

Catra's POV

The rest of spring break had been straining to say the least. Now that Catra knew Adora wanted to take things to the next level, she was beyond excited, and she couldn’t wait to get back home! Why wait, you may ask? Well, they obviously couldn’t do it while they were still vacationing with their friends, because they all knew what was up after Glimmer had walked in on them. Plus, the huge hickey of Adora’s neck was a constant reminder to the group of what they had been up to. Which was slightly embarrassing, but honestly what did they expect when they put the two of them in that master bedroom together? Also, it kind of felt wrong to get it on in Glimmer’s familial vacation house, more specifically on her parents bed, now that Catra thought about it.

So, imagine how happy she was when they finally got home Sunday night after spending over a week with their friends in the mountains. It was pretty late, but Catra wanted to seize this opportunity… however, it looked like her girlfriend had other plans. Adora told her that she wanted to wash up before bed, and Catra was this close to suggesting that they should shower together, but she knew that Adora was a private person and would probably protest to their first time happening in the shower anyway. Knowing that, Catra decided to bathe during this time too in her own bathroom as Adora showered in hers. By the time she was done and walked back into their room, Adora was already asleep in their bed_. Of course… I don’t know how this girl can fall asleep so quickly… _She thought as she rolled her eyes and climbed in on the left side of the bed before snuggling up against her girlfriend and failing asleep too.

Things went on like this for a while and before they knew it, it was April. To Catra, it seemed like the universe was physically fighting to keep them apart. There was a workload of tasks to complete if they wanted to pass this semester and graduate on time, and both their families were planning to drive up to celebrate their graduation in a couple of weeks… so they had to plan that too. It didn’t help that Adora was also stressing about waiting to hear back from graduate schools that she had applied to months ago. All of these factors made throwing intimacy into the mix next to impossible. Not to mention that almost like every time that they planned something, it always ended in failure.

For example, two weeks ago, one of Catra’s morning classes had been canceled and she decided to cook a proper breakfast with her free time, leaving Adora to get ready for her own morning classes in their bedroom. While her girlfriend typed away on her laptop, halfway dressed for the day with her classic jeans and pajama top still on, Catra idly stirred a sizzling pan of eggs and sausage in front of her, while some tortillas were being warmed in the microwave. Making breakfast burritos was a quick and easy meal for her to make, even if she felt like she was disgracing her ancestors, but she couldn’t deny that they tasted delicious.

Catra continued to closely watch the pan in front of her and she paid no mind to the shuffling noises of a laptop being shut and stuffed into a backpack after the sound of steady typing had ceased. What did surprise her was when she heard light footsteps approaching and felt Adora hug her from behind. It was super comforting and a really warm gesture, and she practically melted into her girlfriend’s hold. At first, Catra just thought Adora was just trying to be cute, that was until she felt a tight grip on her hips and found herself being spun around to face her girlfriend, who then pushed her against the counter. Adora being slightly aggressive surprised Catra, but she was kind of turned on by it.

Catra looked up at Adora, who had nothing but love in her eyes, as she leaned in for a light sweet kiss at first, which was definitely a one-eighty from being slammed against the counter, but Catra gave in anyway. She kissed her back and with time it grew into something much more passionate. The next thing she knew, Adora was lifting her onto the counter and standing in between her legs. _Yes! It’s happening!_ Were the only coherent thoughts Catra could muster in this moment and her mind practically blanked when her girlfriend slipped her hands under her shirt and around her waist to pull them closer together.

They were fervently making out until Catra smelled smoke, which caused her to pull away from the kiss to look at her long-forgotten pan on the portable stove top burner. _Oh, shit! My food!_ Her breakfast was seconds from going up in flames and she quickly, but gently, shoved Adora out of the way so she could hop off the counter to hastily removed the pan from the burner and threw it into the sink before dowsing it with water. Her girlfriend just stood there watching the scene unfold and Catra thought it was cute how her face conveyed disbelief and panic at the same time.

Catra giggled to herself as a thought formed in her head. “Is this why your food is always burnt when you cook?” She looked at Adora as she moved to dump the pans contents in the trash. “Were you thinking about me? About _us_?” She flashed her trademark smirk before setting the pan back in the sink.

Adora playfully gasped at the presumption, but Catra could tell from her rosy cheeks that there was some truth behind it. “No…” She droned and then Catra stared back at her with a raised eyebrow and her hands on her hips “Yes…” She looked away.

And all Catra could do was let out a robust laugh as Adora’s eyes landed on the digital clock on the microwave. “It’s already nine?! Catra I gotta go now!” Adora exclaimed as she quickly ran into their room to throw on a different shirt before she walked back into the living room with her backpack slung over her shoulder as she walked towards the door.

“But…” Was all Catra could let out.

“I’ll see you later, okay? I love you!” She grabbed her keys from the table by the door and was gone in the blink of an eye.

Catra was left alone in their apartment. Without breakfast and without a girlfriend. That was as far as they got with that attempt…

* * *

More recently, five days ago in fact, Catra had gotten home from class and was trying to make some moves on her girlfriend before she left for her own classes. Looking back on it, made they probably shouldn’t have planned these rendezvous’ in between classes, but that comes with hindsight. As soon as she had walked in the door, she dropped her backpack on the floor and pounced on Adora who was lounging on the couch reading a book. Catra had snatched the book from her hands and discarded it onto the coffee table before straddling her.

Adora looked somewhat surprised but didn’t protest at all when Catra planted her lips on hers. She sighed into the kiss as Catra moved her hands down her shoulders to her upper arms, eventually landing to the hem of her shirt. Under her, she felt Adora shifting her position further down the couch so that she could lie flat as she dragged her blunt nails down Catra’s sides.

Catra was just about to slide her hands up her girlfriend’s shirt but… that’s when Adora’s reminder alarm went off. She had set it yesterday to make sure that she left the house on time today, for a really important test that they were taking. It accounted for ten percent of her grade and if she were to be late, her professor wouldn’t even think about letting her make it up. _WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK?!?!_ Catra screamed in her head. _CAN’T YA GIRL JUST CATCH A BREAK AND GET SOME?! PLEASE UNIVERSE!!!_

Irritated, Catra pulled away and Adora sighed as she squeezed her eyes shut in annoyance before reaching into her front pocket to silence her alarm. “Maybe we should just wait…”

Catra sat up in her straddling position over Adora. “Wait?” She said in a puzzled tone as she placed her hands on her girlfriend’s waist and stroked her thumbs along both sides. “I’m tired of waiting Adora…”

“Yeah, I know… me too…” She said in a melancholy tone. “…but maybe this is the universe’s way of telling us we should make it special?” Catra watched Adora’s face intently as she was obviously trying hard to think of something. “Oh! I know! I could take you out on a date.”

Catra laughed a little too hard. “A date? Really, Adora? We hangout all the time.” She smiled as she began removing herself from her girlfriend to stand.

Adora sat up on the couch and looked up at her. “I know, I mean like a real date.” She smiled. “A nice restaurant, a walk in the park… you know, the works? And then we could come home and…”

Catra interrupted her before she could finish her sentence. “You would be the type of person to plan a sex date…” She said through a laugh before smiling.

“What?!” There was genuine shock in her voice.

“Don’t worry about it Adora…” Catra brushed her off. “When do you want to go on this ‘date’ of yours anyway?”

“Hmmm… Saturday?” Neither of us have class and I don’t think we have anything planned with our friends either.”

Catra thought about it for a moment. Going on a real date with her girlfriend might be fun… she could dress up, she would get fed, and with the promise of sex afterwards… Catra had made up her mind. “Sure, it’s a date.” She said.

“Yes!” Adora cheered and stood up to hug Catra who gladly hugged her back.

But then later that night, something was brought up that would interfere with those plans. Adora’s professor wanted their class to attend a lecture event off campus on Saturday morning to learn about real world applications of sports medicine, which seemed incredibly boring to Catra not to mention that she was pissed that her plans were seemingly being ruined again. But Adora had told her the date was still on and that they would just go later in the day. She just hoped that everything would go smoothly…

* * *

It was the day of the date and Catra was sitting on the couch watching some kind of Saturday morning educational art show while Adora continued to get ready for this off campus school seminar. Catra was still less than pleased that Adora had agreed to go, but honestly, she shouldn’t have expected anything less from the perfect people pleasing student that her girlfriend was. _I swear… only the BMU College of Medicine would make their students go to some conference-seminar thing on a Saturday to learn about real world applications of their degrees._ Catra thought as she continued to blankly watch the tv. Not really paying attention to what was going on though, since she was sulking instead. _You know what people in the College of the Arts would tell you if you made us do something on the weekends? They would laugh in your face and then say fuck you…._

Catra was pulled from her thoughts when she heard the sound of their bedroom door squeaking open followed by the thuds of footsteps parading down the hallway. When Adora finally rounded the corner Catra smirked at her before speaking. “Ooooo… you have to wear scrubs today? Hot.” She joked as she raked her eyes over her girlfriend’s attire. She was wearing blue cotton pants and a white tank that would be covered soon and her hair was still down at the moment.

Adora sighed as she plopped down next to Catra on the couch. “Yeah… apparently ‘real world’ means wearing these godawful scrubs that I’ve had since Freshman year.”

Catra quirked a brow and grinned. “Those are the same ones they gave you during orientation?”

“Yeah, these are the same ones I got back then. These and the lab coat actually.” Adora said as she looked down at her outfit.

“No wonder they look so snug.” She grinned.

Adora snapped her head to look at Catra with squinted eyes as she stared at her. “Hey! Any weight that I’ve gained has been all muscle weight! Thank you very much!”

Catra laughed. “God! It’s so easy to get you riled up…” Another laugh. “You look fine Adora. I was just teasing you.” She smiled. “We all know that you have the physique of a warrior goddess… You’re like the love child of Athena and Aphrodite.”

“Do you really think that?” Adora shyly asked through a smile.

Catra rolled her eyes. Of course, she had meant that, but she wasn’t going to go soft on her girlfriend this early in the day. “If you’re asking me if I am attracted to you, after four months of dating, then you really must be an idiot.”

“That’s not what I…” Adora stood up and started walking into the kitchen to get some juice from the fridge. “You know what? I’m not starting this right now.”

Catra played innocent. “Oh, Adora. Whatever do you mean?”

“You’re literally the most annoying person sometimes.”

“And that’s what you love most about me.”

“Oh, yes… overly dramatic Catrina is the best. What would I ever do without her?”

Catra cringed at the use of her real name. “Ugh. Okay, I’ll stop.”

Adora laughed. “So, what do you have planned for the first half of your day?”

“I was actually going to go to the mall to get some stuff.”

“Oh? For the date?” Adora sounded sincerely confused.

“Yeah, and I should probably get going soon…” Catra got off the couch and raised her arms above her head as she stretched out before walking over to where her girlfriend was still standing in the kitchen. “I want to get there before it gets too crowded.” She stopped directly in front of her.

“You. Catra. Want to get somewhere early?” Adora smiled. “You really must be excited for this date later.”

Oh, and Catra was indeed eager for this date, but maybe not for the reason that Adora was hoping. Since her girlfriend wanted to wait to make this moment special, she was going to toy with her for the entire night. Her goal was to look so good that Adora wouldn’t be able to keep her hands of her, but Catra would only give in when she wanted to… and oh was she going to make Adora suffer… in a good way of course.

“Yeah right…” Catra said before leaning in to give Adora a chaste kiss before slipping on her boots and jacket by the door and gathering the keys to her motorcycle. “Have fun at your conference thing. I’ll see you when you get home.” And with a wink Catra headed out the door, got on her bike and was off to the mall.

* * *

Catra parked her motorcycle in the closest spot that she could find to the entrance of the mall. The lots weren’t too crowded yet, so that was a good indicator that the stores wouldn’t be either. She removed her helmet and secured it in one of the side compartments of the bike before heading inside. The smell of fragrance, food and new clothes hit her in the face as soon as the automatic doors opened for her. She breathed in that classic mall smell as she walked towards her first stop. She knew exactly where she wanted to go and honestly, and she was trying to get this excursion over and done with asap. The only reason that she was here, and what she didn’t tell Adora in total, was that she wanted to go outfit shopping for this ‘date’ of theirs.

Adora had put in so much effort into planning the date and had made sure everything would go smoothly, that Catra thought she should repay her by buying them some new outfits. That way they could feel great and look amazing for their night out on the town too. Being college students didn’t really allow for getting dressed up, which was something Catra loved to do, so she was actually in her element right now, even if she was at the mall.

The first store that she walked into was the same place that she had purchased that red bustier from for that house party months ago. She knew exactly what she wanted to wear on this date, she just had to find it. Catra had looked up this dress on the store’s website a countless number of times, and every single time she liked it even more. And now that she had an excuse to actually buy it, she was beyond ecstatic.

She moved from the front of the store, after being bombarded with sales reps, in hopes of finding the dress by herself. Scanning the racks of clothing near the back of the store, she stumbles upon the dress that she had been searching for from the beginning. It was a black, skin-tight, body con dress and she knew that it would make Adora go crazy. _Perfect._ She thought as she held the dress up against her body and smiled to herself. _I can’t wait to see her reaction._

She brought the dress to the register and after paying, headed out back into the main aisle of the mall, which had filled considerably since she got here. Now all she had to do was get Adora’s outfit and she could go back home.

Catra was about to walk into the second store, when she felt a vibration coming from her back-right pocket. She pulled out her phone and checked the caller id, before smiling when she realized that it was her girlfriend.

“Hey, Adora.” She said in a silky tone. “What’s up?”

“Hey, nothing much… I was just got to the conference center, but I thought you’d text me that you were home by now… are you still at the mall?”

“Aww, Adora… where you worried about me?” She heard her girlfriend huff on the other end. “Yes, I’m still at the mall. Just getting a few more things and then I’ll head home. I promise.”

“Hmmm… what are you even getting?”

“You’ll see later.” Catra said in a tone that sounded like she was insinuating something.

“Uh… okay… well… I better get going to this seminar, I really don’t want to be late. I love you!” She shouted a little too loudly.

“I love you too.”

“Bye!”

“Bye.”

Phone still to her ear, Catra heard breathing and shuffling noises still coming from the other line.

“Adora? Are you still there?”

“Yes…” She droned.

“Why?”

“I just want to hear you say it one more time.” She asked pitifully.

Catra smiled, she knew exactly what her girlfriend wanted her to say again. _She is the biggest dork, I swear…_ “I love you Adora.” She said in a sweet tone.

She could hear her girlfriend let out a childish giggle, before responding. “I love you too! Bye!”

“Bye for real this time. See ya when you get home.” And with that, Catra ended the phone call because if she didn’t, she knew that the ‘no you hang up first’ game would continue for god knows how long.

The second store that Catra walked into was more conservative, but the outfits were still stylish. _Definitely more Adora’s speed._ She thought. _Hmmm… I need something that will complement the dress… _Then the realization of what she just said struck her. _Oh, god… Are we going to be one of those couples that match from now on? Eh, whatever… at least we’ll look cute._ Then seemingly out of nowhere Catra spotted a gray-plaid blazer on one of the racks that she was walking past. She approached it and plucked it off the rack. It was the only one there and it was exactly Adora’s size, almost like it was fate.

She looked the blazer over, before realizing that it came with a matching pair of shorts and a sheer button-down tank that went underneath. _Oh yeah… this is it! She might be a little apprehensive about the shirt, but I’ll talk her into it._ Catra brought her items to the register and after paying for them she exited the mall which was bustling with midday energy. She was happy that she got here early and when she walked outside the parking lots were already buzzing with cars patrolling for open spots.

Catra climbed onto her bike and headed home.

* * *

When Catra got home, she set the bags down on her former bed before digging out the outfit that she had bought for Adora and placing it on their bed. Now all that there was left to do was get ready. And that’s what Catra had been waiting to do all day. She was excited for this date and she was going to make sure that Adora was going to suffer through it. Not in a mean way, but in a ‘I’m going to be a tease to you all night’ kind of way.

The first thing she wanted to do was to take a shower. After riding her motorcycle to and from the mall, she was smelling very outdoorsy and that wasn’t appealing for a date at all. She discarded her clothes on the floor before stepping into the shower and washing the funk away. Afterwards she dried herself off, wrapped a towel around her body, and dowsed herself with an unholy amount of perfume. What can she say… she wanted to smell good! And she knew the brand that she put on was Adora’s favorite kind so that would just add to tonight’s irresistible factor.

Catra also wanted to do something for this date that she hasn’t done since high school and that was to straighten her hair. After learning about proper conditioning and styling treatments for her curls in her late teens, she has avoided heat styling for the majority of her time in college and her hair has never looked healthier. But there was never a time like the present and she was honestly curious as to how long her hair would look now.

So, she dug out her old flatiron from under her sink and plugged it into an outlet near her desk so she could sit down while she was doing this. Catra already knew that this was going to be a process and she was** not** going to stand up for the entire time. While the flatiron was heating up, she walked back into her bathroom and let down her hair so she could thoroughly spray it with heat protectant. The beeping sound coming from her former bedroom signaled that the flatiron was now ready and after the heat protectant was dry in her hair she settled down at her desk and began sectioning her curls.

Catra grabbed her first piece of hair from the left side near the nape of her neck, brushed it out, clamped the flatiron down and slowly dragged it down to the ends of her hair. As the section slipped out of the flatiron, Catra looked down at her now straightened hair and noticed just how long it had gotten. It was practically to her waist in the front and if she moved the over her shoulder it just touched the small of her back.

She continued to straighten her hair and this process was taking way longer than she had expected it to. Forty-five minutes in, her upper arms were burning just like when Adora forced her to go weightlifting with her in the gym. Luckily there wasn’t that much left to straighten. At this moment, she just had the crown of her head left to do, and she couldn’t help but laugh at her reflection in the mirror on her desk. The majority of her hair was straightened and there was just a huge poof on the top of her head.

After her hair was done, she moved onto her makeup. If the reaction that she had gotten out of Adora while getting ready for that house party months ago was any indicator of what her girlfriend liked when she got dressed up, then Catra knew she had to outdo herself this time. She decided to go with a silver smoky eye which really brought out her heterochromia and it enhanced her natural beauty tenfold. Catra opted to go with a lip gloss tonight too which subtly added to the look and wouldn’t absolutely wreck her face like lipstick would when things got hot and heavy tonight.

Finally, complete with her hair and makeup, all she had to do was get dressed. Catra stood from her desk chair and put her flatiron away before slipping out of the towel that was still wrapped around her and walking to her dresser in search of something that she had been saving for a special occasion. She dug through her top drawer until she reached the matching set of black lace lingerie and luckily the bra was strapless so it would hide perfectly under the dress that she had bought today. She slipped the lingerie on and she was feeling fucking sexy. _God, I just might give Adora a heart attack tonight… totally worth it though._

Satisfied on how she currently looked, Catra reached for the dress that she had laid out on her former bed and slipped it on over her head. As she pulled it down over herself, she noticed how the dress conformed to every curve of her body and when she smoothed it out, she felt like a million bucks. Was it possible to be turned on by yourself? Because Catra was definitely beyond excited right now. Or, maybe it was just the premise of what she would finally be able to do with Adora tonight after months of waiting and years of longing.

Now that she was ready, all there was left to do was to wait for her girlfriend to get home…

* * *

Adora’s POV

By the time Adora got back to the apartment it was well after five o’clock and they had made reservations for the restaurant for seven. She didn’t have much time to get ready before they would have to leave again to go back out. Adora got out of her car and examined herself. She looked like a hot mess right now. This conference had done a number on her and she was feeling absolutely exhausted. Her scrubs were wrinkled and stained with random splotches obtained throughout the day, her ponytail had become a messy bun at some point, and all she wanted to do was lay down and snuggle up with her girlfriend, but she still had a date to get through and that invigorated her enough to keep going.

Adora grabbed her backpack from the backseat of her car before entering their complex. After walking up the three flights of stairs to reach their apartment, Adora inserted the key into their door lock, which always stuck, and after a few jiggles it finally opened. She walked through the door, before closing it behind her and setting her keys aside and tossing her bag on the floor.

She began to remove her shoes and recanted the day that she had to Catra who she presumed was somewhere lurking in the apartment. “Ugh! I can’t even begin to tell you what I went through today! This guy who thinks he’s all that and a bag of chips kept pointing out every single thing that I did wrong. Which was only like two things! And made me look really bad in front of my professor, but luckily, she loves me, so she didn’t say anything… but I just wanted to punch him in that stupid face of his. I bet you would have babe.” Adora laughed to herself before she realized that she hadn’t not received a response to any of her ranting. She paused what she was doing and called out for her girlfriend. “Catra?” She said in an inquisitive tone.

She scanned her eyes across the living room and kitchen in search of her girlfriend until she heard a rustling noise coming from Catra’s old bedroom. Adora moved her eyes to the door just in time to see Catra dramatically lean against the doorframe, left arm up over her head and legs semi crossed at the ankles.

“Hey, Adora.” She cooed and all Adora was able to do was stare back at her girlfriend with her mouth slightly parted and a blush slowly starting to creep onto her cheeks. _Ho…ly… shit._ She thought. _She’s really going all out for this date, isn’t she? And that dress… wow…I can’t believe I have the world’s hottest girlfriend… what did I do to deserve this!_

Catra laughed as she pushed herself off the doorframe and began sauntering her way over to her girlfriend. To say that Adora felt underdressed right now was an understatement and she couldn’t even to begin to imagine what she was going to wear on this date if her girlfriend looked like that. “That guy does sound like a total asshole by the way.” She smiled as she stopped in front of Adora. “Your right, I would’ve decked him.”

“Huh… what…” Adora had completely forgotten what she was ranting about when she laid eyes on her girlfriend. “…oh yeah that guy was awful…” She cleared her throat. “Sorry… you just look so… wow.” Her sentence ended almost breathlessly.

Catra giggled. “That was a really comprehensive sentence Adora.” She said as she wrapped her arms around her neck so she could lean in close and whisper into her ear. “But I think you might want to get ready for this date of ours soon.” She played with loose strands of hair that escaped her bun. “The quicker this dinner is over with the quicker we can get to the fun.” She pulled back and looked deeply in to Adora’s eyes and then she felt a pair of hands snaking across her waist and heading to her ass at a slow, but steady, speed.

“Maybe we can skip the date.” Adora breathed out as she attempted to lean in for a kiss.

Catra pulled away and removed herself from her girlfriend’s hold. “Wow, you’re eager.” She laughed as she playfully pointed a finger at Adora forehead. “But you’re the one who wanted to go all out for tonight so we’re sticking to that plan.”

Adora sighed. _She going to torture me all night. I can already tell… Why did I even arrange this date in the first place?_ “Ugh! Fine. I just don’t even know what I’m supposed to wear…” She said as she looked down at her scrubs again.

“Lucky for you, I got you an outfit while I was at the mall today.” Catra said smugly.

Adora looked up at her again. “You bought me something to wear?”

“Yep. It’s on our bed. Go get ready! I’ll be waiting…” She said seductively as she went over to sit down on the couch.

Adora reluctantly walked away from her girlfriend and into their room where she saw her outfit lying on the bed. She picked up the jacket to examine it and was pleasantly pleased with the materials texture and color choice too. It all seemed relatively conservative compared to what Catra was wearing and stylistically, she thought it was kind of cute that she had picked out outfits that would match each other. She set the jacket down and picked up the shirt, which definitely shocked her.

“Catra, this shirt is see-through!” She yelled down the hallway.

“And?” She said nonchalantly.

“I don’t want other people to see my boobs!”

“Just wear a black bra under it. You’ll be fine.”

“I don’t know…”

“Adora, it’s not even that transparent. It’s _sheer_. Plus, you’ll be wearing a jacket over it.” She paused her speech before continuing. “And… it’ll show off your body, which deserves to be on display 24/7.”

She smiled and wished that she could see Catra’s face right now. “So that’s the real reason why you bought this shirt?”

“No!”

“I’ll wear it!”

“Good.”

Adora shut the door to their bedroom before removing her clothes and after taking a quick shower, she put on a black bra and underwear, per Catra’s recommendation, and slipped the sheer shirt over her head. It was really light and when she looked in the mirror, it actually wasn’t as see-through as she had expected it to be. _Why do I even question her fashion choices? This is actually pretty cute!_ She thought before pulling on the high-waisted shorts, pausing to tuck in her shirt, before buttoning and zipping them up. She looked down and the shorts reached just about mid-thigh and they were surprisingly comfortable. Adora then pulled on the jacket and adjusted it on her shoulders by tugging on the lapels.

When she looked in the mirror again, she couldn’t believe of great she looked. The jacket really helped bring out her natural curves by cinching in at the waist and the shorts made her ass look amazing. Now all she needed was to do her hair and makeup, which she assumed that Catra had already been planning on doing anyway.

Adora opened up the door and stepped out of the bedroom confidently to find Catra still lounging on the couch. Her girlfriend looked up and smiled. “How’s it look?” Adora asked while she did a little spin as her girlfriend’s eyes scanned her body.

“Fantastic! I really should be a personal stylist.” Catra said as she got off the couch and walked over to her. “I mean just… Look. At. Those. Legs!” She said in between claps.

Adora giggled. “You really did pick out a great look for tonight. I just need to do my hair and makeup and then we’ll be ready to go.”

“Oh, I’ve already got that planned too.” Catra turned and gestured to her former room. “Step into my studio.”

“Studio? Is that what you’re calling this room now?”

“Well, it’s not like it’s my bedroom anymore…” She said and walked into the room.

“Because you took over mine.” Adora grinned as she followed behind her and sat down in the desk chair.

“So…” She interrupted. “…that allows me to use this room as a studio and dressing room now.”

Adora smile grew. “Alright, Catra. Whatever you say.”

Catra ended up brushing out Adora’s hair and putting it back into a messy bun. Which was weird to Adora since that’s how her hair had been before she brushed it out. She just assumed that a stylized messy was better than a casual messy, so she didn’t question her. She also kept her makeup fairly simple, like usual, but she did add some shimmer to her lids to bring out her blue eyes before adding liner and mascara.

Once they were both ready, Catra slipped on some high stilettos that brought her up to about Adora’s height and she was rather impressed that her girlfriend managed to walk gracefully in those shoes. Adora slipped on a black pair of ankle boots that had a small heel to them too and they walked out of the apartment feeling their best and looking amazing. They climbed into Adora’s car and their date was officially underway.

* * *

The restaurant that they were going to was a trendy new spot located just off the BMU campus. Adora had heard her fellow classmates ranting and raving about the place for months now and she figured it wouldn’t hurt to give it a chance. When she called to make the reservations five days ago for tonight, a Saturday night, her hopes were not high. But, when the hostess said that they had a spot open for seven due to a cancellation, Adora immediately took the opportunity and marked the date on her calendar.

When they drove up, the parking lot was packed. There was not a single open spot in sight. _Maybe choosing a restaurant near the university campus on a Saturday night wasn’t such a good idea…_ She thought as she scoured rows and rows of parking looking for an empty spot close to the restaurant.

Adora searched for twenty minutes before they finally found a spot near the back of a lot somewhat in proximity of the restaurant. She sighed as she put the car into park, feeling somewhat guilty that Catra would have to walk in those heels for a good distance.

They exited the car and Adora met Catra near the trunk and took her hand in her own before they started walking towards the restaurant. Out here there weren’t too many people, but as the neared the restaurant the denser the population became. And more people meant more eyes. More eyes on her, and for sure more eyes of Catra. She instinctually let go of Catra’s hand in favor of wrapping it around her waist to make it clear to others that she was hers. Not in a possessive way… it was more protective than anything.

Noticing the hand on her waist, Catra looked down to glance at it before turning her head to the right to face Adora with a curious look on her face.

“What?” Adora questioned as they continued walking.

Catra grinned. “Oh, nothing.” She said before looking forward again. “But, just to let you know… you don’t have anything to be jealous of anymore.”

“What! I am not jealous!”

“Mhhmm. Okay.” Catra said doubtfully as they neared the entrance to the restaurant.

Adora removed her hand from her girlfriend’s waist and sped up to open the door for her. “Really, I’m not.” She said defensively.

“Fear not Adora.” Catra said before she looked directly in her eyes as she walked past her through the door. “I only have eyes for you, my love.” She said with a wink before completely disappearing inside.

Adora’s mind stuttered for a moment and a few more people entered and exited the restaurant as she stood there with the door open, until she headed inside too to find Catra to the right of the entrance near the waiting area.

She smirked at her as she approached her once again and this time Catra linked her arm with Adora’s by the elbow as they walked up to the hostess stand. There was a young woman, in her late teens, manning the stand. Adora was kind of surprised about how young she was, but then again, this girl was probably fresh out of high school and just looking to make some quick cash.

“Good evening.” She greeted them. “Do you have a reservation?”

“Yes. It should be under Grayskull. Party of two.” Adora said with certainty.

The hostess scanned the list of names in front of her until she stopped and scribbled on the paper with a pen. “Okay.” She picked up two menus. “Right this way.” She led them towards the back of the restaurant, where the noise from the bar wasn’t quite as loud and lights were dimmer. The restaurant was packed, so there would be other people seated around them, but that was to be expected for a restaurant as popular as this on a Saturday night.

The hostess stopped at a two-seater table, half of which was a booth and the other half just a chair, before placing the menus down. “Your waiter should be with you soon.”

“Thank you.” Adora said as she pulled out the chair for Catra to sit down, which she did, as the hostess walked away.

Catra smiled at Adora who was sliding into the booth in front of her. “Look at you with the chivalry tonight.”

“What? I’m just being nice.”

Catra dropped her voice down to a whisper. “More like you just want to get into my pants.” She smirked.

“Catra!” Adora whisper shouted her name.

She laughed harder. “Calm down… but it’s true.” She winked at her and Adora rolled her eyes.

Their waitress approached shortly after they were settled in. She was a thin tall blonde woman who had her curly hair pulled back into a bun and her flyaways were kept out of her face by a flower headband. She appeared to be in her late twenties and her whole look just radiated peppy.

“Hi, my name is Perfuma. Can I get you ladies started with any drinks tonight?” She asked through a smile.

Catra spoke up first. “I’ll take a water and a Manhattan.”

“I’ll just take a water and a sweet tea please.” Adora said with a smile.

After the waitress was gone, Adora looked back at Catra and quirked an eyebrow at her. “A Manhattan? Really?”

“What? When you dress like this, you gotta drink like a classy bitch.” Catra said like the answer was obvious.

Adora laughed. “But you literally hate whisky!”

“I’ll force myself to drink it for the style points.” Catra said as she leaned forward on the small table. Clearly soaking in as much of her girlfriend’s laughter as she could.

She laughed even harder. “What are you even talking about?!”

“You’ll see… once I get my drink.” Catra said before picking up her menu and browsing over it, prompting Adora to look over her own menu too.

Perfuma came back with the drinks a few minutes later, along with a basket of bread with seasoned oil for dipping, and after setting them down on the table she said, “Can I start you off with any appetizers?”

“I uh, think we’re actually ready to order.” Adora said.

She perked up. “Okay, great! Good ahead.”

“Can we start with the potsickers?” Adora asked and Perfuma hummed with a nod in response.

“And I’ll take the half chicken with green beans and rice.”

“Alright, and you miss?” Perfuma turned towards Catra.

“I’ll take the fillet. Medium. With mashed potatoes and mixed veggies.” She responded.

“Fantastic! I’ll go put those in for you all. Your appetizer will be out soon!” The waitress said.

When Perfuma walked away again, Catra picked up her drink and causally posed with it. “See Adora… _this_ is the epitome of class.”

She smiled again. “You look like a femme fatale from a James Bond movie.”

“Exactly my point.” Catra raised the drink to her lips and took a sip of it. “Ugh. But I hate it so much.” She stuck out her tongue. You know, real ladylike, before speaking again. “It tastes like how your dad’s cologne smells.”

And at that Adora snorted. Honest to god snort laughed in the middle of this five-star restaurant and she was practically doubled over onto the table. People from nearby tables were starting to look at them, but in this moment, it was just the two of them and they were having the time of their lives.

Catra couldn’t help but giggle at Adora’s current state. “It’s not even that funny babe.”

Adora lifted her head from the table and wiped away a few stray tears that had been released from laughing so hard. “No. You’re wrong. That was hilarious.” She held out a hand. “Here, let me taste it.”

Catra handed the drink over to her and watched as she took a sip of it before handing it back and voicing her own opinion. “Yeah, you’re right it’s horrible… and it really does taste like cologne.”

“I told you! But now I have to finish it or that eight bucks down the drain…”

“At least it’s not that much of it left?” Adora shrugged her shoulders just as Perfuma came back and set the appetizer down at their table.

“Ladies here are your pot stickers. Do you need anything else?”

“No, I think we’re good.” Catra said with a smile.

“Okay, enjoy.”

They started digging into their appetizer and basket of bread, all of which was delicious, but Catra couldn’t help but notice that Adora looked like she had something on her mind, which was confirmed when she spoke up.

“So, less than a month until we graduate, huh? That’s kind of crazy…”

“Yep.” Catra responded before picking up another pot sticker.

“Which means that our families will be visiting and celebrating with us soon…”

“It always is an experience when they’re all together.” Catra smiled at the memory of how their high school graduation ended up. But she quickly dropped her smile when her girlfriend’s face started to display worry.

“And our lease is up in June… Which means we’ll have deal with that and then there’s grad school to think about too.” She said as she nervously started tapping her fork against the table.

Catra reached out for her hand and the way her hair slipped forward over her right shoulder like silk didn’t go unnoticed by Adora. She stroked her thumb reassuringly across her knuckles, Adora loved when she did that, before speaking again.

“Hey, we have plenty of time to figure that stuff out… Let’s just concentrate on tonight, okay?” She said sincerely and Adora felt her chest tighten as warmth filled her heart. Catra always knew how to calm her down.

Adora smiled at her. “God, I love you.”

“I know.” Catra smiled back. “And I love you too.”

They kept their hands linked across the table until Perfuma came back with their meals. They ate in a comfortable silence mostly because the food was just that good and partly because they were truly just enjoying each other’s company. They didn’t get that much alone time anymore because of school and if they did, they were always exhausted. This was definitely a nice change in pace. They were halfway done with their meals and Catra excused herself to go to the restroom and Adora seized the opportunity to sneak a few bits of her girlfriend’s steak.

While Catra was in the restroom, Perfuma came back to the table to refill their waters. As she was topping Catra’s glass off she spoke. “She’s a beautiful girl.” Adora almost chocked on her food from how caught off guard she was from that statement. “How long have you two been dating.” Perfuma continued.

Adora cleared her throat. “Four months. But, we’ve known each other our entire lives.”

Perfuma grinned as she topped of Adora’s glass. “Yeah, you can tell. You two have great chemistry with one another.”

Adora smiled. “Well, it’s not that hard when she’s literally the most amazing girl in the world.”

“I’m sure. Let me know if you need anything else, okay?”

“Yeah, thanks.”

Catra returned to the table shortly after Perfuma left and looked down at her plate with a look of confusion. “Did you eat some of my steak?”

“What? Pssht. No…” She tried to lie but gave herself away immediately.

“Adora.” Catra said her name in an accusatory tone.

“Yes, I did.” She admitted.

“You could have just asked.” She said with a chuckle.

“Oh.” Adora laughed back. “Do you want to try some of mine since I ate some of yours?”

“Yeah, sure, why not.”

And with that they finished up their meals and decided to share a dessert. While they waited for their dessert to arrive, Catra placed her elbow on the table to rest her head in it as she observed the crowd around them. Adora couldn’t help but stare back at her. She just wanted to admire her beauty and it wasn’t even because her girlfriend was glammed up right now. It was just something about this moment that took Adora’s breath away. Maybe it was how the candlelight flickered on her bronze skin, or how it made her chiseled features even more striking. Whatever it was, Adora had never felt this way about another person ever in her life. She knew they had something special and hope that it would stay this way for the rest of their lives.

She was pulled from her thoughts when she felt something snaking its way up the right side of her inner leg and caught her girlfriend’s smirk as she side eyed her from where her head was still propped up by her hand. Catra continued to drag the tip of her shoe up Adora’s leg and she felt her face flush when she reached her thigh.

“Something wrong babe?” Catra asked as she dropped her hand to look directly at her.

“I… uh…” Adora’s face grew hotter as Catra continued to brush her shoe up her leg. She was about mid-thigh now and Adora wasn’t doing anything to stop her.

Thankfully, Perfuma came back with their dessert before Catra could escalate the situation further. Adora breathed out a sigh of relief that she didn’t know she had been holding in. They finished their dessert in record time and after Adora paid for the bill they got up from their table after leaving a hefty tip for Perfuma.

As they walked back towards the entrance of the restaurant, they saw people standing inside and out with wet umbrellas. “Oh, no! I didn’t know it was supposed to rain tonight!” Catra said.

Adora took off her jacket before handing it to Catra. “Here.” She said as she presented it to her girlfriend who looked back at her confused. “For your hair. I know how long that must have taken you.”

Catra smiled. “Wow, you really are my soulmate, aren’t you?” She said as she took the jacket from Adora, who rolled her eyes, and Catra draped it over her head.

Someone kindly opened the door for the two of them and thankfully it wasn’t pouring outside, but it was definitely a steady drizzle. Halfway back to the car, Adora could feel her sheer shirt beginning to stick to her skin and the loose strands of hair escaping from her bun clung to her face. The dampness was somewhat unpleasant, but at least Catra was staying relatively dry under the jacket, and that’s all that mattered right now.

Finally, back in the car, Adora turned on the heat to take the chill off of them and to sped up the drying off process, as Catra discarded the jacket in the back seat. When Adora took a closer look at her, she noticed that Catra’s head and hair were left unscathed, but droplets of water beaded on her chest, arms and legs. Her skin sparkled under the diluted light from the parking lot’s streetlights and to Adora, she looked absolutely stunning. She sure was staring a lot tonight, but she couldn’t help it.

“You’re beautiful.” She said wholeheartedly which caused Catra to turn in her seat to look at her.

“What?” She looked confused.

“I said you’re beautiful.” Adora smiled and if she wasn’t paying attention hard enough, she might have missed the blush that spread across her girlfriend’s cheeks, but she didn’t “Really, Catra you’re stunning, amazing, fantastic, kindhearted, and the most gorgeous person inside and out.” Catra turned her head towards the window for a moment to take in the bomb of a compliment that she had just received and Adora leaned in closer to her before she placed a hand in her lap reassuringly.

Catra grabbed onto the hand and turned towards Adora again. They were so close that their noses were almost touching and Catra’s blush was much more visible from this angle.

“You really mean that?” She said coyly with the biggest puppy eyes she could muster.

“Of course.” Adora smiled.

“Thank you.” She said and Adora noticed how Catra’s gaze dropped to her lips. She took that as a go ahead to lean in but instead of her girlfriend’s lips on her she felt a finger press against her mouth, and she pulled back to see Catra smirking at her. “But you still have to wait until we get home.”

Adora let out a frustrated groan while Catra cackled to herself in the passenger seat. She really was making her suffer through this date, especially towards the end of it. All Adora wanted to do was kiss her till there was no tomorrow and feel her girlfriend’s skin under her hands. Was that too much to ask for? She desperately wanted to get closer to her, but Catra had made it clear that she would have to wait until she grew tired of whatever charade she was trying to pull right now. Adora just didn’t know how long she could hold out for.

They pulled out of the parking lot and Adora kept her hand in Catra’s lap the entire car ride home.

* * *

Catra’s POV (NSFW)

Catra knew she was being mean to Adora, but honestly, it was pretty fun to mess with her. During the car ride home, she felt Adora trying to move her hand further up her leg, but every time she got too close, Catra pushed her hand back down. She could feel the desperation just radiating from her girlfriend by how her fingers involuntarily flexed in frustration before loosening again in her lap. _She’s trying so hard…_ Catra thought as she smiled to herself.

But if the gleam in her girlfriend’s eyes and lingering grin on her face were anything to go by, then she would say that Adora was still looking forward to what was about to go down when they got home. And to be fair, Catra literally couldn’t wait till they got home either, but she was just better at downplaying her emotions than her partner was.

Catra could practically feel the excitement exuding from her when she put the car in park in the lot of their apartment complex. They both exited the car and Adora grabbed onto her hand and essentially pulled Catra up the apartment’s stairwell in a hurry to get inside.

After climbing three flights of stairs in stilettos, she was feeling a little out of breath, so she leaned up against the hallway wall as she watched her girlfriend search her pockets for the house keys. And after inserting the key in the lock and fiddling with it for a few seconds she grew agitated.

“This stupid lock always sticks!” Adora shouted as she angerly jostled the handle around in an attempt to open the door.

“Woah, woah! Calm down Adora.” She giggled slightly at her girlfriend’s frustration. “You’re going to break the fucking lock it you do that.” Catra pushed herself off the wall and moved her to the side before she took ahold of the keys that were in still in the lock and maneuvered it just right so that it clicked open with ease and she pushed open the door to their apartment. “See, easy.”

“How is everything you do perfect?” Adora asked.

Catra just shrugged her shoulders and before she could even response, she found herself being pulled inside the apartment and pinned to the nearest wall. She looked up at Adora in surprise and the hunger that had been lurking in her eyes all night was finally at the forefront. However, Catra didn’t feel intimidated in the slightest. She knew who Adora was; she would never do anything to physically hurt her on purpose and that was reaffirmed when the grip on her upper arms was released in favor of cupping the sides of her face instead. It was one of those tender and intimate moment that made Catra want to melt into her touch.

Adora’s gaze was soft now as she continued to look at Catra. “Can I _please _kiss you now.” She asked desperately through a breathless plea. She had been teased all night and Catra had barely let her do anything in return and her need to touch her was evident in her eyes, however she knew that Adora would still hold out if she told her no.

But Catra decided in this moment that Adora had been put through enough tonight and instead of answering her verbally, she leaned in for a sweet kiss that had been lingering on both of their lips all night. She could feel her girlfriend’s smile on her lips as she hummed triumphantly and Catra couldn’t help but smile into the kiss too in response to her girlfriend being an absolute dork.

However, they both weren’t smiling for long as Adora’s restraint on her own desire finally caught up with her. Catra knew something was up by how her girlfriend’s hands moved from her face, down her arms and to her waist in an agonizingly slow pace. Disappointingly missing some key features on their way down. What did surprise her was when Adora pulled her just far enough from the wall to snake a hand behind her back before trailing her fingers down to her ass and squeezing. Hard.

Catra inhaled a sharp breath through her nose, as a familiar warmth began to gather in her core, and apparently that was the response that Adora was looking for because she held her grip and swiped her tongue across her girlfriend’s bottom lip, eagerly asking for access. Catra readily complied as the kiss was deepened as her body continued to respond to all of Adora’s touches and grips.

Adora removed her lips from Catra’s and she had the audacity to smirk at her, before she dove back in this time aiming for her neck. Catra let out a sigh, that was dangerously close to being a moan, as she girlfriend began lick and suck up and down the area between her left ear and collarbone. Then, Catra’s breath suddenly hitched when Adora bit down on the spot that she had been working on for the past minute or so. “Mmm… Adora…” She let slip through her lips and that… that was definitely a moan. _When did I lose control of this situation?_ Catra thought as Adora removed her lips from her neck to look at her. _This was not how tonight was supposed to go at all…_

“Oh, did you like that?” Adora teased and Catra needed to do something to wipe that smug look off her face. This whole time she had just been lost in the moment. Letting her girlfriend do whatever she pleased. She needed to turn the tables… but how? Without responding she looked down between what little space was between them at the moment and her eyes landed to the waistband of her girlfriend’s shorts where her shirt was still neatly tucked in.

Catra looked back up at Adora before moving her hands down to tug at Adora’s waistband, which effectively erased that look of her face and closed the small gap between them once more. The abrupt tug also elicited an involuntary gasp from Adora as well, causing Catra to display a smug look of her own. “Did **you** like that?” Catra mocked as she grabbed onto the shirts material at her sides and began pulling the tucked shirt from her shorts.

Adora rolled her eyes and instead of responding went in for another kiss and to Catra, that was much better than talking anyway. Once, her girlfriend’s shirt was fully freed from her shorts, Catra moved her hands towards the top of the to start undoing the buttons, which was a much more difficult task when your mouth was preoccupied by your girlfriend’s tongue and you were scattered brained from how turned on you were right now.

But she managed to complete her task and now that Adora’s shirt was open, Catra was able to place her hands on Adora’s bare skin just below the curve of her bra. Adora’s skin was extremely soft and Catra couldn’t help but notice every breath that she took in under her hands. Suddenly, she felt Adora move under her touch and she cracked open her eyes to see that she had taken the initiative to remove her shirt entirely.

Catra broke the kiss again so she could take in the view of her shirtless girlfriend. “Now _this_ is familiar sight.” She said with a wink which caused Adora’s face to flush a darker shade of red. Catra was obviously recalling the events of that house party, where Adora had been wasted and stripped herself of her top before passing out. But instead of running away from her emotions this time, she was able to freely stare at a shirtless Adora. Oh, how far they’ve come in just a few months.

Adora huffed and rolled her eyes again. It was kind of cute, too cute for what they were doing right now. “You know, it’s really unfortunate that I don’t remember that… especially if you’re going to hold that over my head for the rest of our lives…”

“That’s what makes it funny.” Catra smiled as she shifted her gaze back to her girlfriend’s chest and moved her right hand up to cup Adora’s left breast. “Plus, we can make new memories together in _this _moment…” She squeezed as she looked back up to catch Adora’s gaze that was still on her. “…right babe?” And the reaction that she received was completely worth it. Her face melted as goosebumps rose on the skin under Catra’s left hand.

And that must have triggered something in her girlfriend because Catra instantly felt Adora’s lips on hers again, the kiss ten times as passionate this time, and Catra desperately wanted to get that bra off of her. She attempted to move her hands behind her back to unclasp it, but she was caught off guard when Adora began hiking up her dress, which sent another wave of arousal course through her. _Dammit… why am I so weak for her?_ Catra thought as Adora slid her hand down her right thigh and stopped just above the back of her knee before lifting it up and encouraging her to wrap the leg around her waist… which she did.

And it was only when Adora finally slotted her own leg between hers and pushed up against her hips that Catra got that friction that she desperately needed. She sucked in a short breath through her nose and sighed into the kiss with a hum as she tried to keep herself from grinding down on her girlfriend’s leg. _God! Why did we wait so long to do this?_

Adora slid her hands back to Catra’s shoulder and began fiddling with the straps on her dress before she trailed her mouth back down her neck, stopping just under her collarbone this time. None of this was helping Catra’s current state and her breathing was steadily becoming more rapid and her chest rose and fell under her girlfriend’s mouth as she rolled her hips on her girlfriend’s leg subconsciously.

She needed more of this and she needed it now.

Catra wrapped both hands around Adora’s neck and gripped as she brought her other leg up, so she was effectively hanging from her girlfriend. Her whole body was practically conformed to her. “Bedroom. Now.” She demanded and Adora looked back at her confused for a moment, before she grinned and brought her left hand to Catra’s butt to support her, while the other toyed with the zipper behind her back.

Adora pulled both of them away from the wall and started the short trek to their bedroom in compliance with Catra’s demands. She didn’t know why, but the walk felt ten times longer than it usually took to get there. Maybe because she was too preoccupied by Adora failing miserably to tug the zipper down her dress, or maybe she was just way too horny right now, at least more than she would like to admit. Either way, they finally passed through that bedroom door and Adora slowly guided her feet back to the floor to stand after what seemed like forever.

She turned around so that her back faced Adora, before kicking off her heels and sweeping her hair out of the way, craning her neck ever so slightly to peep over her shoulder to give her a knowing smile. Honestly, she didn’t even need to unzip this dress to get in off of her. She could just slip it over her head, like how she got dressed, but something about her girlfriend taking the dress off of her was a real turn on. And soon enough, Adora took off her own shoes and brought her hands back up to the zipper; successfully managing to drag it down this time.

Once fully unzipped, Catra turned back around to face her and dragged the straps down her shoulders effectively releasing the only support that the dress had left to stay up on her body. She kept her eyes locked on Adora as it slid to the ground and the look on her face right now was priceless. She was biting her lip and her eyes were frantically trying to take in every single detail of her body. This gave Catra an extra boost of confidence.

“Fuck…” Adora uttered under her breath as she continued to look at her. She was practically marveling at Catra’s body right now and she wasn’t even fully undressed yet.

_Time to have some fun…_ Catra thought as she approached her and once she was just inches from her, she grabbed onto Adora’s shoulder and pushed her down on to the bed.

It was time to get some control back.

Adora landed on the bed with a thud, and she looked up at her girlfriend with wide, but ready eyes, as Catra leaned over her and placed her hands on her upper chest and drug her hands down Adora’s body at an agonizingly slow pace. Her fingers caught of the cups of her bra, and her shortened nails left pink trails down her stomach, but she continued her journey down until she got to the button of Adora’s shorts.

Catra looked up at Adora asking for a silent permission and she responded with a brief head nod. She unbuttoned her shorts and lowered the zipper before she started to tug them off of her. Once her shorts were discarded on the floor, Catra was finally able to take in the view of her girlfriend lying expectantly on the bed in just her bra and underwear.

She was on her back, propped up by her elbows, and her legs were slightly parted. Her eyes were hyper focused on Catra, like she was trying to predict her next move, which was funny since Catra is a complete wildcard. Adora was practically glowing, despite her hair and makeup being ruined by the rain, but in Catra’s eyes everything about her was perfect. Her girlfriend’s body was a temple and she was going to treat it as such.

Adora shimmed further up onto the bed as Catra climbed on to the left of Adora and began to crawl her way up towards her girlfriend. Stopping just to the left of her waist and sitting in a kneeling position as she watched Adora look up at her pitifully. Catra smiled down at her before bringing her left hand to one of Adora’s bra straps. She slid her finger underneath of it before starting to tug it down. “You know… this would be a lot more fun without this on.” But she stopped her progress on the strap to look down at Adora, clearly waiting for a reaction.

“Then fucking take it off Catra.” She responded in an irritated tone.

“Ooooo. Someone gets feisty when they’re sexually frustrated.” Catra said through a smile as she went back to toying with the same bra strap, but still not sliding it down any further.

“Dammit.” She furrowed her brows and her mouth was set in line. “Why are you such a tease?”

“Woah. You better watch it Adora. All this cussing might stain your perfect ego.” She let go of the bra strap and moved her left hand to Adora’s stomach. She was fascinated by how her muscles twitched under her as she ghosted her fingertips across her skin in small circles.

“Catra.” Adora breathed out causing her to move her gaze from her stomach to her face again.

“What?” She asked innocently. “Is there something I can do for you love?” Catra continued to watch her face as she moved her hand further down Adora’s stomach before stopping at her underwear and playing with the waistband.

“Catraaaa.” Adora whined desperately as she propped herself up on her elbows again.

“Yes?” She said sweetly as she looked down at her hand again before she raised the waistband slightly and watched as it snapped back down against her skin.

She looked back down at Adora’s face and caught her glaring at her. “Fuck you.”

Catra smiled. “Fuck me? That’s the point of this whole thing isn’t it?”

Adora flopped back onto the bed and let out an irritated groan. “Oh my god!” She was not enjoying Catra playing with her at all.

Catra giggled. “Don’t get so riled up.” She moved to straddled Adora’s hips, which seemed to catch her slightly off guard, but she definitely looked please that they were finally getting somewhere. Catra leaned in closer to slide her left hand between Adora and the mattress, and planted a kiss on her left shoulder, until she reached the clasp of her bra and unhooked onehandedly. “You know I just like messing with you.” She tugged the bra straps down Adora’s shoulders. “It’s too easy.” Catra said as she finally removed the bra from her girlfriend’s chest.

Now able to see her girlfriend’s upper half in all her glory, Catra was kind of speechless. Was it possible to be awestruck by someone’s tits? Because she certainly felt like she was. Adora was definitely fuller than herself, but not overwhelmingly so, and the way her chest rose and fell with every breath was mesmerizing. The only words Catra thought were an accurate description were perfect. Immaculate. Gorgeous. Stunning. Hers. _Hers_. Right. They were supposed to be getting it on right now and all Catra had been doing for the past thirty seconds was stare at her girlfriend’s boobs while she lay underneath of her.

Speaking of which, Adora’s face had grown confused. A look that could have been read as slightly embarrassed too. But Catra had no idea why she would be embarrassed, well maybe it was because she had just been staring and not saying anything. That could make anyone nervous.

“What?” Catra asked as she look her in the eyes after breaking her gaze from her chest.

“Why are you staring at me like that?” Adora’s brows were furrowed again.

“Like what?” She was genuinely confused this time.

“Like my boobs are the best thing in the world.”

“I mean…” Catra looked back down. “They kind of are…”

“Oh?” Adora smiled. Clearly not feeling embarrassed anymore.

“Yeah. Like fuck.” She gestured to the chest in front of her. “Look at ‘em!”

Adora laughed slightly. “I look at them every day Catra. They’re on my body.”

“Damn right!” She cheered before leaning in closer to her ear. “And now your body is mine.” She whispered and she could hear the jagged breath Adora took in as a response.

And before Adora could verbally respond, Catra captured her girlfriend’s mouth again as she worked her hands up her sides and to her breasts prompting Adora to arch up into her touch and sigh into her mouth. _Fuck, that’s sexy._ Catra thought. _Let’s see if we can make her do that again… _

Still making out with her, she took one of her nipples between her fingers and rolled it before squeezing. And this time Adora fully moaned into her mouth and broke the kiss by breathlessly uttering “Catra…”. When she looked down at Adora, her eyes were still closed, and her head was tilted back. _She’s clearly enjoying this. Good._

With her mouth free again, Catra shimmed down Adora as she teasingly ghosted her lips across her neck and collarbone, stopping to kiss the center of her chest, before working her way over to one of her breasts as took one of her nipples into her mouth, drawing another gasp from the girl under her. She rolled her tongue across it and sucked on the already erect nub, being sure to pay attention to the other one with her hand, but she was caught off guard when Adora jerked her hips upwards against her own, reminding of her own desire, even if she wanted to take care of her girlfriend first.

“Catra, please…” She whispered as she brought up a hand to run through Catra’s hair so she could look at her.

She released her nipple from her mouth with a pop. “Please?” Catra continued to question, even if she knew exactly what her girlfriend wanted, she still wanted to hear her say it.

“I need you.” Adora raised her hips again to grind against Catra. _Fuck._

She smirked up at her from her current position above her chest. “To do…?” Catra said as she continued to work at her girlfriend’s chest.

Adora grabbed her wrist, prompting Catra to move her gaze to her face again, and when she caught her eyes, there was an intensity in them that she had never seen before. “Please, just fuck me!” She demanded.

_Looks like she’s finally tired of my shit…_ Catra thought and her smile was huge when she responded next. “You don’t even know how long I’ve waited for you to tell me that.” She leaned forward again to give her girlfriend a quick kiss before she began to slide down her body.

Catra peppered kisses along Adora’s stomach, who writhed under her with every peck, stopping only when she reached the band of her underwear. Their bed wasn’t big enough for the both of them to be laid out in this position, so Catra raised herself off the bed when she felt her legs slipping over the side and planted her left foot on the floor and opted to keep the right knee on the bed for better leverage.

She looked up at Adora and ran her hands down her legs, pushing them apart as she went, before leaning in on her left hand and running her right hand down the front of her underwear. She felt how hot and damp they were already, clearly displaying how excited she was, which was confirmed further as she attempted to push up into Catra’s hand. _I can’t believe this is happening!_ She thought. It honestly still all felt like some sort of dream to her.

Catra smirked. “Oh, Adora… You’re so ready for me, aren’t you?” She asked in a sultry tone.

“Yes…” She said through an exhale.

“Ready to be _fucked_ by me?” She asked as she pushed her palm against her center.

“Yes, Catra. Please…” Adora begged as she raised her hips into Catra’s hand again.

Catra loved being in control and the fact that Adora was begging to be touched by her right now was extremely hot, but it was also kind of funny that her girlfriend was in this state by just being teased. She should do this more often. It wasn’t easy to get her girlfriend to let go of all her worries and uptightness, you know?

Catra removed her hand from Adora’s center and brought both of them to the band of her underwear. She flashed her a brief smile before tugging them down her hips and thighs, waiting for Adora to raise her legs, and bend them at the knee, so she could slip them the rest of the way off, and when she did, Catra gladly discarded them of the floor.

When she looked back down, her girlfriend was practically glistening from how wet she was. _Jesus. Fuck._ Catra thought as she finally settled in between Adora’s legs. This time on her stomach, body propped up by her elbows, left foot still on the floor and right bent under her.

“Your _so_ wet.” She whispered and kissed her inner right thigh. _So wet for me._ She thought as she kissed the other thigh, thoroughly enjoying how Adora moved in front of her, clearly irritated that her mouth was not where she wanted it. Catra looked up at her and her face displayed frustration as expected, but it was still filled with anticipation.

“Catra.” Adora said her name sternly. She really was fed up with Catra’s shit for tonight.

She smiled again. “Okay, okay. I get it… no more teasing.”

Catra brushed her own hair out of the way, tossing it over her shoulders, and slid her hands under her girlfriend’s thighs to cling to her hips, before lowering her mouth onto Adora’s pussy. She drew an experimental lick from her center to her clit and she heard her girlfriend take in a raspy breath above her. Adora tasted salty and sharp, but it was in every which way addicting to Catra. She’s pictured herself in this position a countless number of times and now that it was finally happening… she needed more of it.

She pressed her tongue down harder, burying it in between Adora’s folds, as she continued to lick and suck at her pussy. Above her, Adora had her eyes screwed shut, her head was tossed back, and she was steadily dissolving into a cacophony of hums and gasps. All of which was music to Catra’s ears.

Slowly, but surely, Adora began to move her hips in tune to the movements of Catra’s tongue, clearly seeking more stimulation. Taking that as a clue, Catra removed her mouth and slipped her left hand from under her thigh before running her index finger through Adora’s slick. She glanced back up at her girlfriend, who looked on expectantly as Catra slid in her finger with no resistance at all.

“Mmmm…” Adora moaned as the finger entered her. Catra continued to marvel at the sight unfolding in front of her. It seemed like every little thing that she did, dissolved her girlfriend into further relaxation, and it was amazing change of pace seeing her let loose like this. She felt Adora’s whole body go slack as she slowly began pumping her finger in and out of her.

As she continued to work her finger, Catra intently watched how Adora’s body reacted in front of her. Her hips continued to roll into tune with Catra’s movements and Adora eventually brought up her right arm and threw it over the top of her head, gently resting it on the bed beneath her while the other was preoccupied with her own breast.

When Catra glanced at her face, Adora’s brows were wrinkled together and her eyes were screwed shut. The expression was a far cry from how relaxed she had seemed previously. She looked like she was fighting against herself right not. Almost like she was scared to give in any further. Catra should have known that Adora wouldn’t remain relaxed for that long.

“You’re holding back Adora…” Catra said and she felt Adora’s body tense.

“I’m… not…” She said in between breaths.

“Yes, you are…” Catra said as she reached for Adora’s left hand and squeezed it. “It’s okay, you can let go.” And with that little bit of reassurance, the tension in her body went again and the strained expression on her face disappeared too.

Apparently, that’s all that Adora needed to fully give into Catra. “More.” She pleaded and Catra complied by adding another finger. She curled the two fingers inside of her and watched Adora grip the sheets under her right hand. Catra lowered her mouth back down to her clit, causing Adora to moan out again as she arched her back off the bed, before dropping back down and frantically moving her hips out of pace with her girlfriend.

Catra knew Adora wouldn’t last long now.

“Nghhh… ahhh… Catra!” She yelled as Catra quicken her pace.

She could feel Adora tighten around her fingers. _She’s close…_ Catra thought before removing her mouth and speaking. “Come for me baby.”

Adora was practically panting at this point and the light sweat on her forehead that she had acquired throughout this experience caused her loose hairs to stick to her face. Catra dropped her mouth back down, allowing her girlfriend to essentially grind on her face, as she held the steady quick movements of her fingers.

Suddenly, Catra heard Adora suck in a sharp haggard breath and felt her whole body seize as the pleasure finally took over her. She removed her mouth as she felt Adora contract around her fingers and she listened to the shaky exhale she released as she was coming down from her peak. Catra eased her pace, dragging the last waves of her orgasm out of her, before stopping completely.

She watched as Adora’s breathing slowed and she felt her body relax again before she finally opened her eyes and looked down at her with a tired smile. Catra carefully removed her fingers and licked them clean as Adora watched in awe. She then crawled her way back up her girlfriend’s body before collapsing on top of her.

“How was that?” Catra asked through a smile.

Adora took some more deep breaths causing Catra to become painfully aware of how her bare stomach and legs felt against hers. “Amazing… Just, wow…” Adora managed to say.

Catra continued to smile down at her. “Well, I’m glad I could help you out princess.”

Then she saw a devious smile form on her girlfriend’s face. “Now it’s your turn.”

And before she knew it, Catra was being rolled onto her back, Adora’s naked form hovering above her effortlessly, and she was suddenly feeling way too clothed right now. Even if she was already stripped down to her bra and underwear. Adora looked down at her like she was the best thing in the world and Catra prayed that she would just get to the main event asap, but she knew her girlfriend was a kind soul and probably wouldn’t ravage her body right away. Catra liked to be seductive and to tease, but Adora preferred to appreciate and admire her lover’s body before getting to the action. And in a way, that felt like she was being teased too, because Catra wasn’t going to get what she wanted right away.

Adora brought her right hand to Catra’s face and stroked her cheek before leaning down and kissing her gently. It wasn’t as heated as it had been in the beginning, but it still held just as much passion. To Catra, it was interesting to let Adora regain control again, since it allowed her to experience just how different they were when it came to romance. Adora was being extremely sweet with her right now, and it was a pleasant change in pace from what she had been used to in previous relationships and honestly, she could get used to this.

Her girlfriend pulled away from the kiss and smiled before speaking. “Sit up for me.” Adora said and when Catra propped herself up on her elbows, she felt her girlfriend’s left hand running along her side, to her back, and stopping when she got to the clasp on her bra. She attempted to unhook it one-handedly like Catra had did hers, but apparently, she hadn’t mastered that trick yet. So, after a few seconds of fiddling with the clasp, Catra sat fully up so Adora could use both hands to unclasp her bra.

She smiled to herself when she heard Adora huff slightly in disappointment, but the look on her girlfriend’s face when she finally got that bra off of her was totally worth it. Adora discarded the strapless bra on the floor, landing somewhere amongst their other forgotten clothes, and marveled at Catra’s upper half as she collapsed back onto the bed.

Adora reached out to her chest but hesitated a moment, almost like she feared that she’d hurt her in some way by touching her, but Catra gave her another smile to encourage her on. She placed her right hand on her left breast and gave a tentative squeeze that made Catra feel like she was on cloud nine already. She pushed her chest up into Adora’s hand in search of further relief. It didn’t help that she was already extremely worked up from getting her girlfriend off, but now that her hands were on her body… she could feel herself steadily losing control again.

Noticing Adora moving her hand down her body, Catra looked on as her girlfriend pushed past the waistband of her underwear and rested her hand just above where she needed it the most. _Maybe I was wrong about her not being a tease…_ She thought. _Because what she just did is messed up…_ However, she was immediately distracted by the sensation of Adora teasing one of her nipples.

Catra drew in an involuntary gasp and watched her smug girlfriend continued her licking before fully taking her nipple into her mouth and rolling her tongue over it. She sighed out a hum and she felt that burning heat in her stomach skyrocket again when Adora moved her hand further down to rest just on the outside of her folds.

She pushed up into her touch, seeking more pressure, but was somewhat shocked when Adora lifted her hand away before settling it back down when Catra relaxed. _Okay, yep. I was for sure wrong about her not being a tease._ She thought, before catching Adora’s gaze again. Catra made sure that her face conveyed irritation so that her girlfriend would get the message not to fuck around anymore.

And apparently that message was received loud and clear when she felt Adora slip her fingers in between her folds, gathering up slick, before swirling her fingers around her clit in small circles.

“Shit…” Catra breathed out as she closed her eyes and further relaxed onto the bed.

Catra was fully enjoying the pleasure that Adora was giving her right now, and she was desperately trying to move her hips so that she would take the hint and slip her fingers inside. But what she got instead was Adora ceasing her movements as she removed her hand from Catra’s underwear.

Her eyes shot open in shock and she propped herself up on her elbows again after her girlfriend continued to move away. “What the fuck Adora!”

“Geez! Don’t get so mad…” She said as she moved to tug Catra’s underwear off. “I just want to take them off of you.”

Catra felt really stupid. “Oh…”

Adora laughed. “And who’s the sexually frustrated one again?”

She just rolled her eyes and watched as Adora pull down her underwear. After she was fully disrobed, Adora took a moment to admire her body, but something caught her eye and she squinted at it before leaning in closer. _What is she looking at?_ Catra wondered.

“What’s this?” Adora asked as she ran a finger up a four-inch scar on her inner left thigh near the crease of her leg.

Catra was right about Adora not knowing about every imperfection on her body liked she had stated that she had during spring break and this scar was one of them. And now that she thought about it… Catra didn’t notice any major scars on Adora’s body expect for the one on her knee obtained from her ACL injury during high school and a few on her arms from rough housing as a kid. Maybe that just showed the difference in how they were brought up in their households.

“Oh, that?” Catra knew exactly what she was looking at. “That’s from a stupid fence jumping stunt that happen when we were younger…”

The memory she was recalling, was from back when she was in her young teens. She had followed her older cousins into a junk yard, and they had been caught trespassing. They ran into a tall fence while running away from the patrolling officer on duty. Her cousins had convinced her that jumping the fence was the only way to get out. She did as she was told, but when she reached the top, a broken piece of the chain link fence piece of her clothing and skin when she slung her left leg over. When she returned to school with a limp the next day, she had told Adora she was fine… not that she had to get twelve stiches the previous night.

Adora’s eyes widened in shock. “You told me you didn’t get hurt from that!”

Catra looked away. “Well… I did.” She sounded guilty.

“Catra.” Adora said disappointedly and she wrinkled her nose at the tone.

“What? It’s in the past now. Not much I can do about that.” She glanced back at her.

“I wish you just would’ve told me…” She droned as she ran her finger back down the scar.

“Look, I’m sorry.” Catra said genuinely before sitting up and reaching to the cup the side of her face to get Adora to look at her. “Really, I am.” And then she kissed her. “But, can we just get back to the fun please?” She smiled and laid back down on the bed. “You can yell at me more later.”

Adora smiled back at her. “Oh right…” She said like she had actually forgotten what they were in the process of doing and Catra didn’t even know how that was possible. Both of them were naked, one of them desperately needing to get off, with the latter already have been.

Her girlfriend moved back up the bed and propped herself up on her left elbow as she leaned over Catra slightly before cupping her face with the right and kissing her again. It wasn’t as delicate as before, and it had a little more eagerness to it, but it was still all Adora. Catra felt the hand on her face slid down the side of her neck and collarbone, coming to a stop on her left nipple again.

Adora took the nub in between her fingers and pulled cause Catra to suck in a breath through her nose and she could feel her girlfriend’s smile on her lips again. _Since when did she get so brash? Maybe it just happens when she knows exactly how a react? Am I that obvious?_ Catra had been so lost in her thoughts again that she hadn’t noticed the trailing hand sneaking down her lower stomach until she felt Adora’s fingers on her clit again._ Whatever, it feels too good. I really don’t care anymore. _

Catra rocked her hips in rhythm to Adora’s movements as she continued to be kissed heavily. This was all becoming overwhelming way too fast. Catra usually could last longer than this, but her body was not holding back any longer, and her pleasure continued to increase when Adora easily slipped her middle and ring fingers inside of her.

“Hhngh…” She moaned into Adora’s mouth and her breathing was becoming irregular. Catra grinded against the palm of Adora’s hand as she continued to work her fingers in and out of her.

As the sensation slowly took over her body, Catra decided that she needed to ground herself somehow, so that she could last a little longer. She noticed that she wasn’t doing anything with her hands in this moment. She needed to grab on to something, and what was better than clinging to her girlfriend? Her right hand found its way through a gap between Adora’s chest and arm and she brought her left up to join the other behind Adora. She raked her nails down her back multiple times, causing her girlfriend to shake under her hold, but she didn’t protest.

“Fuck.” Catra said as her need for air finally caused her to break away from the kiss. She kept her eyes closed and titled her head back as she sucked in several short and raspy breaths. Adora busied herself with Catra’s now exposed throat, added to her building pleasure, before she quickened the pace of her pumping.

“Hhhh…hhhh… ahhnggh… Adora…” She panted in between rapid breaths. “Don’t stop.” She breathed out as scratched her lover’s back again, harder this time, causing a grunt to escape Adora’s throat. That one was definitely going to leave a mark, unlike the others.

But her girlfriend did not falter in her pace and Catra felt herself nearing her climax. Absolutely everything that Adora was doing to her body right now was incredible. The way her fingers filled her, how her body was pressed up against her own, the sound of heavy breathing that echoed in her head from Adora’s own exertion… It was all so overwhelming for Catra.

And soon enough, her own body gave in.

Though her eyes were still shut, her vision turned white, and her mind blanked as a wave of immense pleasure washed over her. Her body tensed and she felt herself contract and relax around Adora’s fingers multiple times as her girlfriend slowed her pace before coming to a complete stop. Catra rode her climax out as long as possible and she couldn’t think of another time that she had felt this amazing after sex.

She took in a few deep breaths, and after dropping down from her high, Catra finally opened her eyes to find Adora affectionately staring back at her. _God, I love it when she looks at me like that…_ Catra thought to herself after realizing that she could actually think coherently again. Adora removed her fingers and wiped them on the bed spread, they would definitely have to wash the sheets in the morning, before she brought her right hand back up and resting it on her side.

“Holy… shit…” Catra finally uttered.

Adora giggled. “Feel better?”

“I don’t think I’ve ever come that hard in my life.” She admitted and she watched as Adora mentally congratulate herself. _Ugh. I shouldn’t have said that. That’s gonna go straight to her ego._

“So, I take that it worth the wait?” She said asked in a teasing tone as she reached for a spare blanket at the end of the bed.

_Yep, right to her ego. But I might as well be honest._ “Fuck yeah.” She breathed out as her girlfriend draped the blanket over the both of them before wrapping her arm around her waist.

And there they stayed, enjoying the warm and company of one another for the rest of the night.

This was by far the best conclusion to a date that Catra had ever had…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> They’re both tops change my mind. (Okay, Adora might be a little bit of a bottom, but honestly who the fuck cares anymore?) But seriously, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and this was my first-time writing smut, so I apologize if at any moment it was cringey… I tried my hardest to make it realistic and I hope I successfully did that!
> 
> Also, I'm just going to put this out in the world... if I ever receive any fan art for this fic (not even just this chapter) I will cry and I will worship you forever.
> 
> Next Chapter: Senior Year comes to a close and the girls graduate from college.
> 
> Update: December, 11 2019
> 
> Follow me on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/simplyabsolute1) and/or [Tumblr](https://simplyabsolute.tumblr.com/) for updates and other SPOP stuff.
> 
> Art:  
[Adora and Catra's Outfits](https://fruitsand-peachies.tumblr.com/post/189810087356/scene-from-simplyabsolutes-fanfiction-here) by @fruitsand-peachies  
[Steamy When They First Get Home Scene](https://twitter.com/LuckyAyase/status/1230857371108413445) by @LuckyAyase


	10. Graduation Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The day that everyone has been looking forward to for the past year is finally here! It’s graduation day! After running behind schedule and barely making it to the ceremony on time, Catra and Adora catch up with their friends and family as the excitement of today fills the air. But little does Catra know that her girlfriend has something very important to give her afterwards.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well… here we are everyone… the conclusion to Senior year… If I’m being honest, I never expected this fic to gain this much popularity and I am honored that so many of you love it as much as you do. So, thank you again for all of your support and please enjoy! Also, be sure to check out the beautiful art by @applefuell of Catra and Adora at the end of this chapter! (There's also some links to fan art in chps 1 and 5 if you're interested!)
> 
> Timeline:May
> 
> Visual References:  
[Adora's Dress](https://www.pinterest.com/pin/237705686569771392/) and [Catra's Dress](https://www.pinterest.com/pin/237705686569771383/)
> 
> Thank you again @magicgumball on Tumblr for helping me with the Spanish in this chapter!

Adora POV: The morning after “The Date”

Adora awoke to a dimly illuminated room. The clouds from last night’s rain showers were still lingering in the sky, waiting for the morning sun to burn them away, and the sound of her girlfriend’s soft breathing filled the air. Still coming into full consciousness, Adora hadn’t realized that the left side of her body was freezing, while right felt like it was being heated under a furnace, when she had woken up a few seconds ago.

She propped her head up a bit and looked down to get a better understanding on why her body was currently experiencing such vast temperature extremes. _Oh, right… We’re still naked._ Was the first thing that crossed her mind as she sighed out a long exhale. _Last night was something else… it was incredible… **she** was absolutely incredible…_ Just recalling the events of last night sent a series of shivers down her spine. Adora never thought the day that she could be intimate with Catra would ever actualize, since the universe seemed to be against them at every turn, but now that it had happen… she was feeling happier than ever.

Adora grinned as she continued to look down, and the reason why she was partially freezing was because her girlfriend had stolen the majority of the blanket from her side of the bed. Catra was presently bundled up in it and curled into Adora’s side with her face partially buried under the mass of her own straightened hair. She looked so peaceful and content, that Adora couldn’t help but smile at the cute sight, even if she felt like the right side of her body was in an oven. However, she needed to figure out how to move without waking her girlfriend up… but how?

She slowly attempted to pull out her right arm from under her girlfriend but received an irritated groan in response when she was about halfway free. Adora paused her progress to look at Catra’s face and it seemed like she was still asleep, so she continued. Once her arm was finally removed from under her body, she turned onto her right side so she could face Catra directly. Adora’s change in position also freed up more of the blanket, so she adjusted it over her body before reaching out her left hand and stroking her fingers through Catra’s hair in an attempt to get it out of her face.

Catra let out another sigh and her brows began to furrow in response to being disturbed. She was an extremely light sleeper after all. _So much for not waking her up…_ Adora giggled slightly as her girlfriend’s eyes fluttered open just long enough for mismatched eyes to meet blue ones. Catra shot her a look of discontent before quickly closing them again and snuggling her face further into Adora’s chest.

“Stop trying to wake me up Adora…” Catra said through a quiet muffled voice.

“Morning to you too.” Adora laughed softly before she placed a kiss on Catra’s forehead and continued to stroke her hair. “And I actually wasn’t trying to wake you up…”

“Ugghhhh…” She groaned without moving. “What do you want?”

Adora smiled. “Well, now that you’re asking… I’d like to see your beautiful face for more than two seconds.”

Catra removed her face and propped her chin on Adora’s chest before she looked up. “Are you always this needy the day after sex?”

Adora rolled her eyes. “Noooooo… I… just want to look you in the eyes when I talk to you…”

“Mmhmm, okay.” But Catra wasn’t acting any less affectionate as she snaked her right hand around Adora’s waist to pull her closer. As she stroked her hand across her back she felt a few raised lines that were left after last night’s ‘activities’. Catra grimaced. “Sorry about that by the way…”

Adora’s body relaxed under Catra’s touch. “Oh, that? It’s okay.”

“Really?” Catra asked as she scanned her girlfriend’s eyes and quirked a brow at her.

“Yeah it was…” She swallowed hard. “…kind of nice_?” Are we really having this conversation right now?_ Adora thought.

Catra smirked. “I didn’t know you were into that kind of stuff princess.”

She felt her cheeks reddened and she pulled her left hand from Catra’s hair to cover her face out of embarrassment. “Stop.” Adora said in an already defeated tone.

“Aww… there’s nothing to be embarrassed about, love.” Catra reached up and pull the hand away from Adora’s face. “It just means I have _so_ much more to learn about you.” Her smirk turned into a full-on grin. “Including all your kinks.”

Adora groaned as she shifted onto her back again. “Oh my god, Catra!” Her lover laughed at her discomfort. _Oh, she thinks this is funny? Two can play at this game._ “Hmmm… I don’t know why you’re teasing me, when you’re the one who practically melts into my every touch and kiss. Not to mention that you’re already going all out with the pet names this morning.” She said through a smile.

Catra stopped laughing. “Hey! That’s not because I like you!” She said in a faux-stern voice and face that quickly changed into something much softer. “It’s because I love you.” She said before she pushed up off the bed just enough to kiss her girlfriend on the cheek.

Adora felt her chest warm and she quickly cupped the side of Catra’s face to pull her in for a chaste kiss. “I love you too.” She said as Catra lowered her head to rest against her upper right arm and chest again with her hand placed on Adora’s stomach.

There was a pause in their conversation, and they enjoyed the comfortable silence of their room as they lay peacefully on the bed together. A few minutes passed before Catra spoke up again. Something was clearly on her mind “So, are you finally going to tell your parents that we’re together?” She said nonchalantly through a quiet voice.

Adora’s eyes winded as she slipped from Catra’s hold and sat up in bed. The blanket slipped from her chest, before she twisted her upper half to look directly at her girlfriend. “HOW DID YOU LET ME GO _FOUR _MONTHS WITHOUT TELLING THEM?! She practically yelled in a high-pitched voice.

Catra’s eyes roamed Adora’s chest before looking up. “I just wanted to see how long your ‘forgetfulness’ would persist and apparently it lasted until right now.” She shrugged her shoulders while still lying on her side.

“You should’ve reminded me!”

“You were just so occupied with school and…” Catra tried to defend herself, but Adora was clearly not listening. She had to fix this… immediately.

“I need to call them!” Her eyes looked panicked as she grasped onto the blanket in her lap like her future depended on it.

“Right now?! It’s really not that big of a deal…” Catra asked as she propped herself up on her left elbow.

“Yes, Catra! My relationship with you is extremely important!” Adora then reached for her phone on her desk next to the bed and opened her list of contacts before selecting her dad’s number. The phone rang a couple times before her father picked up.

“Adora! Honey! Hi, how are you?!” Her dad answered in a deep robust voice.

“Hey, dad. I’m good. Is mom around?” She wanted to get straight to the point.

“No, she just left for a conference last night. Why is something wrong?” His voice grew concerned.

_Of course, she did…_ “Yeah… no… everything’s fine. I just had something _really_ important to tell you guys.”

There was a pause. _Oh, no…_ Adora knew what her dad was thinking before he even said anything. _ I should’ve known that his mind would go there instantly._ “What did you do Adora?” His tone was stern.

“Ugh…” She droned. “I didn’t do anything! This is good news I promise.”

“Okay… then what is it dear?” His voice shifted so that it had a more curious tone to it now.

Adora cleared her throat. “Well… I’m dating someone now.”

“Oh?” He sounded surprised.

“Yeah, for four months now actually… but it had somehow slipped my mind to tell you…” She turned her head to look down at Catra who was intently listening to the conversation.

“And who is it?” He questioned. “Someone I know, perhaps?”

“Yeah, I would say that you know her pretty well.” Adora smiled at Catra and she rolled her eyes.

“You’re so cheesy…” Catra muttered but continued to listen.

They heard a gasp come from the other line. “Is it who I think it is?! Oh, I wish your mother was here! She owes my so much money if I win this bet.” This was the giddiest that Adora had ever heard her father sound and it was kind of unnerving.

“Geez did fucking everyone have a bet on when we would get together?” Catra continued to mumble beside her.

“It’s…” Her father started.

“Catra.” They both said at the same time.

“Haha! Yes! Finally!” He roared and then sniffed. “Wow you both finally realized that you were completely head over heels for each other.” Followed be another sniff.

“Once again, if it was that obvious to everyone else… why did no one tell us!” Catra vented but Adora’s mind was focusing on something else.

“Dad are you crying…?” She pulled the phone away from her ear when she heard her father blow his nose.

“I’m just…” His voice broke. “…so happy for you two.”

_What is happening right now?_ Adora was extremely confused. _Is he literally this happy about me being with Catra?_ “…Okay dad… well I’m gonna go be with my girlfriend now, so… if you could just pass the message off to mom that would be great…”

“GIRLFRIEND!!!” He cried out in happiness clearly not paying attention to anything else that his daughter had just said. “Oh…hooo…oohhhh… woooo…”

“Wow, he’s legit actually crying right now.” Catra whispered.

“Kay dad…” Adora needed to end this conversation. “I love you! Bye!”

“My baby girl, finally with the one that deserves her…”

And with that, Adora ended the phone call. “Maybe I shouldn’t have told him…” She said as she shifted her position to fully sit up in bed after setting her phone back down on her desk.

“Yeah, I didn’t know Randy was such a softie.” Catra smiled.

“Me either… I guess he always had a big heart when it comes to love though…” She sat hunched over in deep thought as Catra examined the full extent of those nail marks on her back. There were a series of pink crisscrossing lines on her upper shoulder blades, right side and lower back. But the eight identical lines that ran the length of her torso were the worse and Catra had managed to break the skin in some spots.

Catra raised her hand to Adora’s back and dragged it across the surface causing her girlfriend to tense briefly from the residual pain, but she quickly relaxed again. “After you take a shower, I can put some cream on those if you want… it’ll help take some of the sting away too.”

“A shower right…” Adora hadn’t even thought about breaking her cardinal rule of taking a shower before bed last night since she was so preoccupied with Catra. “You know, yeah… I’d appreciate that.” She smiled down at her girlfriend who was still reclining on her left side.

Catra smirked. “Anytime, babe.”

“Wow, what does that bring the total to? Three pet names in the span of twenty minutes?” Adora said as she tossed the blanket to the side and began shifting towards the edge of the bed.

“Whatever.” Catra grumbled as she watched Adora stand up and stretch. Clearly not any less impressed by her girlfriend’s body than she had been last night.

She laughed. “Maybe we should do _this_ more often… especially if it makes you act like the complete sweetheart that you are.” She said as she walked into the bathroom and turned on the water for the shower.

“Don’t get used to it.” Catra said through the bathroom door, but Adora knew it was an empty threat. If you could even call it a threat.

“Oh, trust me. I will get very used to it.” She teased as she stuck a hand in the stream of water to test the temperature.

“God! Now you’re just being annoying!” Catra semi-shouted but there was no malice to her voice.

Adora laughed and she was just about to step into the shower when a thought crossed her mind. _I could take a shower by myself… Or, I could take a shower with my beautiful girlfriend…_ She backed away and popped her head through the crack in the bathroom door and caught eyes with Catra who was still relaxing on the bed, but she had moved to lay stomach down where Adora had previously been. They just stared at each other before Catra spoke up.

“Can I help you?” She said in a playful voice.

Adora cleared her throat. “Uhhh… Did you want to join me?”

Catra smiled and practically threw the blanket off of herself before hopping off the bed and running towards the bathroom. “I thought you’d never ask.” She said as she joined her girlfriend before stepping in the shower together.

Their Sunday morning was already off to a good start, too bad that they would have to double down their focus on school assignments this afternoon if they wanted to be prepared for finals in just a few weeks. Not to mention that graduation was less than a month away… At least they could forget about those things in this moment and just focus on their love for one another.

* * *

Life moved at this steady, yet quick, pace for the rest of April, but as soon as the first week of May arrived, Adora felt like she would miss something if she blinked. Two weeks of restless nights, and even more chaotic days, lead to an unrelenting amount of stress and unbearable exhaustion. By the time she was able to sit back and breath after she had turned in all of her assignments and taken all her finals, it felt like she had run the world’s longest marathon.

And before she knew it, it was graduation day…

They should have left the apartment thirty minutes ago, but it was Adora who was the one that was running behind schedule right now. She still had to get dressed, had her hair to do and she probably should wear some sort of makeup today since it was one of the most important days of their lives… but that was the last thing on her mind.

“Adora! Are you almost ready to go?” She heard Catra call for her from the living room.

“Yeah, yeah almost!” She lied. “How did you get ready so fast?!”

“I didn’t wait until last minute like you did!”

To be fair the only reason that Adora had waited last minute to prepare was because she was helping her girlfriend get ready, and by helping, I mean she was just intently watching her as she tried on dresses, fluffed her curls and did her own makeup. Helplessly captivated by her every movement… anyway, to say that Adora was feeling rushed right now would be an understatement.

She heard footsteps trailing up the hallway to their bedroom seconds before her girlfriend arrived. Catra entered their room and her jaw went slack when she caught Adora searching her closet in just her bra and underwear with her hair still up in a tousled bun. “Jesus, babe! I thought you said you were almost ready!”

“I am, I am! I just gotta find my dress, do my hair, makeup and then we can leave…” She responded as she hurriedly shuffled through the clothing rack in her closet.

“Okay, you know what?” Catra said as she gently pushed Adora out of the way. “You go fix your hair and I’ll pick out a dress for you.”

Adora looked at her in disbelief for a moment while she contemplated her options. Catra did have an amazing fashion sense, she had learned that much over the course of this school year, and she did look stunning in her own black dress right now. Which even though was lace, it still had a little edge to it, perfectly matching her girlfriend’s personality. “Fine! But please don’t put me in anything stupid.”

“Adora, whenever I dress you it always turns out amazing, so you have nothing to worry about.” She smiled as she began her own search through the closet.

“True…” A smile pulled at her lips. “…but I’m starting to think that you just secretly like dressing me up.” She teased.

She caught a faint blush spread across Catra’s cheeks before she spoke. “Just go do your hair already.” She muttered while avoiding looking at Adora.

_She’s so cute when she won’t admit that she likes doing things for me._ Adora thought as she leaned forward and kissed Catra’s cheek. “Will do babe.” She said before walking into her bathroom.

While Catra was rummaging through her closet Adora stepped into her bathroom and plugged in her hair dryer. She let her tangled hair fall from the bun that was still clipped to the top of her hair and began to run a comb through it after dowsing her locks with heat protectant. Luckily, she had learned a thing or two from watching Catra do her hair a countless number of times through high school and college, so she knew all about proper usage of styling tools and products. She blew out her hair as quickly as possible and when she finished, she was fairly happy with the results. Her hair was straight, but it had a volume to it that her hair typically didn’t have if he would’ve just straightened it.

When Adora stepped out of the bathroom, her girlfriend was nowhere to be found.

“Catra?” She called out.

“Yeah?”

“Where are you?”

She heard Catra let out an unnecessarily loud sigh. “This apartment is only so big Adora… I’m in the other room.”

_Right._ “Okay!” Still in just her bra and underwear, Adora made her way to Catra’s former bedroom “What are you doing in here?” She asked as she watched her girlfriend stood up from the unused bed.

“Well, I couldn’t find anything I liked in your closet…” Catra started.

“Rude.” Adora interjected.

“…So, I remembered that I had _this_ dress and I think would look nice on you.” Catra said as she pulled out a white dress from her wardrobe. It was a stark contrast to her own, but at least it was simple and not flashy like she had feared.

“Oh. That’s actually really pretty.” Adora said as she took the dress from Catra.

“See! I knew you’d like it.” She said as she propped one hand on her hip in a ‘I told you so’ kind of pose.

Adora just gave her a smile and took the white dress of the hanger. She slipped it on over her head, careful not to mess up her hair, and when she pulled it all the way down it fit like a glove. She tugged on the flare of the dress straightening it out further and adjusted the top across her bust.

“How does it look?” She asked as she continued to look down at the dress.

“Beautiful…” Catra whispered and Adora quickly looked up to catch her gaze. “I mean… not half bad, princess.”

Adora had always been the one to call Catra beautiful and the compliment kind of caught her off-guard, but she still wasn’t going to let that compliment slide. “What was that first part?” She egged her on.

“I… uh… don’t know what you’re talking about?” Catra said as a faint blush appeared on her cheeks for the second time this morning, causing her to look away.

“Oh, you don’t?” Adora said as she moved closer to her girlfriend until she was standing directly in front of her. She reached for Catra’s chin with her left hand and slowly turned her gaze back towards hers. “Because it sounded a lot like you calling me beautiful.” She smiled.

“No, I didn’t…” She feigned innocence as she stared back at her with those lovely eyes of hers.

“It’s getting a lot harder for you to keep this ‘tough guy’ act up around me, isn’t it?” Adora said as she pulled her in by the waist, effectively closing the gap between their bodies.

“Phhstt. In your dreams.” She brushed off her words.

“Isn’t it?” Adora said as she leaned in an began peppering her face with kisses.

Catra crunched up her face in response. “Stop, Adora that tickles!” She said through a series of giggles with a smile on her face.

“Admit it Catra!” She continued as she picked up her pace of her pecking ambush.

“Okay, fine. Fine!” She surrendered and Adora pulled away. “I said you look beautiful…”

“That wasn’t so hard, was it?” She said as she released the hold around her girlfriend’s waist.

“No… but we still have to do your makeup and then we can leave.” Catra quickly changed the subject. “Speaking of, if you fucked up my makeup with your kisses, I’m gonna be pissed.”

“You look fine Catra.” Adora reassured.

Catra double checked her face in a mirror before speaking again. “Okay, good… now sit.” She pointed to the empty desk chair.

“Ugh… here we go again…” Adora complained. Clearly not looking forward to Catra’s tedious makeup application process being applied to her face again.

Thankfully, Catra did her makeup in record time and after slipping on their shoes, they picked up their caps and gowns before walking out the door. When they got to the car the paid special attention to how they placed them in the backseat because both of their mothers would definitely yell at them if they had even one wrinkle in their gown. And they really didn’t feel like getting reprimanded on a day that was supposed to be about their accomplishments, not their appearances.

After they were both situated in their seats, Adora put the car in drive. Finally, after being an hour and a half behind schedule, they were off to the graduation ceremony.

* * *

By the time they got to the stadium where the graduation ceremony was being held, it was already one-fifteen. Thankfully, they didn’t have to worry about parking though. The university was smart enough to implement a reserved parking program for graduates a couple years back when they began receiving complaints that some students missed their own graduation due to there not being enough parking. It was admittedly another one of Angella’s amazing changes that she made when she became president of the university a few years ago.

When they exited Adora’s car, the girls pulled their out their gowns from the backseat, silently thanking that they hadn’t wrinkled during the ride, and draped them over their shoulders after threading their arms through the wide-flowy sleeves.

“I still don’t know why Bright Moon literally had the worst color gowns ever.” Catra commented as she adjusted the gown around her neck.

“You don’t like it?” Adora asked as she tugged on the sleeves of the gown. “I think it’s kind of nice.” She shrugged.

“Of course, you would.” Catra smiled. “Bright Moon purple looks great on you. Me? Not so much…”

Adora paused her adjusting and looked direction at her. “Well, I think it looks lovely.” She said wholeheartedly. Earning a dramatic eyeroll from her girlfriend, along with a grin that didn’t go unnoticed.

“I swear…” Catra huffed and Adora smiled.

They both finished fixing their gowns and opted to leave them unzipped for the time being, which left their dresses visible, as they reached for their caps still in the car.

Speaking of their caps, Catra had decorated both of them three days ago after all her coursework had been completed. Unlike Adora, her finals had mostly been critiques of the art that she had produced over the duration of the semester and submitting portfolios for review by the College of the Arts panel of professors. So, she had a little extra free time while Adora was still studying for her medical exams.

Adora reached for her cap first and was still impressed by its impeccable craftsmanship. Catra had covered up the majority of the deep purple fabric of the cap with a paper cutout resembling the top of her scrubs, which conveniently also matched her light blue tassel that she had to wear for the BMU College of Medicine. The scrub color also allowed the shiny black text of “Future Physical Therapist in the Making: BS in Sports Medicine,” all written in fluid calligraphic lettering, to stand out sharply. Adora didn’t even know what to say when Catra had first shown it to her. She was stunned and overwhelmingly grateful that her girlfriend had gone all out on her cap. It was simply perfect in her eyes. Adora placed the cap on her head and walked around to the other side of the car, before she bent down slightly so Catra could secure it in place with the bobby pins that they had remembered to bring along with them.

Adora was then presented with Catra’s cap ready to be affixed to her head, and boy was her design a complete one eighty from the stylistic simplicity of Adora’s own. Catra had kept the design of her cap playful just like her personality. She had covered the top of it with a sheet of paper littered with cats drawn in various art styles from the centuries and across it was a curvy text that read, “The Smallest Feline is a Masterpiece: BFA in Studio Art.” Not only was the whole design and quote a play on her own name, but it was actually really cute. Adora had to give her some serious props when Catra showed it off to her the first time too.

After they were adorned with their complete regalia, they started their brief walk to the stadium.

As they walked, Adora unlocked her phone to fifteen unread messages. All varying different degrees of panic, but all mostly from the one and only… Glimmer.

_11:36, Glimmer: Hey, we just got here! We’ll be by the entrance if you want to meet up!_

_12:03, Glimmer: Hope you guys are on your way…_

_12:34, Glimmer: Alright, I’m getting nervous now… and your parents are here btw they’re talking with my mom, George and Lance._

_12:40, Glimmer: Okay, so I’m pretty sure Catra’s mom is here now?! She literally looks exactly like her. They could be sisters!_

_12:41, Glimmer: Oh god The rest of Catra’s family just showed up and they are… an experience._

_12:47, Glimmer: WHERE ARE YOU GUYS?! HELLO?!?_

_1:20, Adora: We just got here! _😬_ Be there soon!_

She then moved onto Bow’s messages.

_12:54, Bow: Glimmer says she can’t reach you and we can’t find you anywhere… Are you two here yet? The ceremony starts in an hour?!_

_12:54: Bow: Please hurry, I don’t think I can take much more of all our parents interacting…_

_1:03, Bow: You guys are making us all very anxious right now… I hope you’re okay!_

_1:21, Adora: Hey Bow, we just got here! Sorry we’re late… we were running behind because of me… We’re walking in now!_

And finally, to her parent’s messages.

_12:30, Dad: We just got here, dear. Hope to see you soon! We’re headed towards the stadium now._

_12:33, Mom: Adora, where are you? We can’t find you._

_12:34, Mom: Is Carla supposed to be here? Where are we meeting them?_

_12:34, Dad: We’re talking with your friend’s parents right now! They all seem like very nice people. Let us know when you get here._

_12:46, Dad: Oh! Catra’s mom is here! Her and your mom are having a blast right now. I can’t remember the last time I’ve seen her laugh like this._

_1:10, Mom: Where are you girls at? Carla and I have been waiting for thirty minutes and you two are still nowhere to be found?!_

_1:25, Adora: We just got here! Heading towards the stadium entrance now! Sys! _

She pocketed her phone before speaking again. “So, people might be looking for us…” Adora droned as she continued to walk in stride with Catra.

“Yeah… it looks like my family is freaking out too…” Catra said as she read the messages on her own phone. “Especially my mom.” She laughed. “She says if we don’t get our asses here soon, she’ll kill both of us… and that was sent a half hour ago.”

Adora smiled. “Knowing your mom… I don’t doubt it.”

“Yeah…” Catra chuckled. “Your mom is probably almost ready to go off on us too, huh?”

“Actually, from what my dad’s messages said, it seemed like she was really enjoying catching up with your mom.”

Catra facial expression looked somewhat shocked before settling into a smile. “Well, I guess I shouldn’t be that surprised she they always got along somehow. Which was weird to say the least.”

“I honestly think it was there no-nonsense parenting style that they saw reflected in each other which they liked.”

“True, but still your mom is way stricter than mine. Like, I’m pretty sure mom didn’t give two shits about what I did as long as I didn’t get in trouble… unlike Lena who had to know where you were every second of the day and practically scheduled your whole life out through high school. At least when she was in town…” Catra internally cringed slightly after realizing what she had just said. The topic of Lena’s absence, yet undeniable presence from afar, was still a sensitive topic all these years later.

Adora sighed before perking up slightly. “Which is why I always used to come over to your house when she was g…”

Catra interrupted her. “Because you could do everything you weren’t supposed to there. Yes, I know Adora.” She grinned.

“That’s not the only reason… I liked hanging out with you.” She shyly confessed.

“Awww… but you didn’t realize you _liked_ me until college?” Catra joked and nudged her shoulder.

“Ugh. Whatever.” Adora said as she pushed against her a little harder than necessary, but it was all still very playful.

“Come on, you know I’m just teasing.” She said as she placed a hand on her girlfriend’s shoulder.

“Oh, I’m well aware of all your teasing tactics now babe.” Adora said as she winked at her.

Catra ignored what her girlfriend was insinuating in order to keep this day PG for the time being. “Anyway” She cleared her throat. “Where are we supposed to be meeting everyone?”

Adora smiled clearly picking up on Catra’s diversion, but she went with it. “Glimmer said that they’re still by the entrance, but we should hurry because they’re going to start seating us in fifteen minutes.”

They quickened their walking pace towards the stadium, fueled by the anticipation of seeing their families and their own excitement for graduating today.

* * *

When the entrance of the stadium finally came into view, they were confronted by a sea of deep purple gowns. Students were frantically trying to find their families and parents were on phones communicating with said students.

“Looks like we weren’t the only ones who showed up late.” Adora droned as she swiveled her head around in search of their friends and family.

“Yeah, no shit.” Catra said as she pulled out her phone again in attempts of trying to locate anyone in their group.

Adora continued to look around the crowd, when suddenly she felt arms being wrapped around her waist from behind. Arms that were definitely not her girlfriend’s, but they were familiar, nonetheless. Before she could say anything, she was being hoisted into the air captured in one of the tightest hugs she’s had since starting college.

“Hey! Let me down!” She protested.

“Adora…” She could recognize that voice anywhere. _Adam_. “I’m just… I’m just so proud of you!” He fake wept before setting her back on the ground with a laugh.

“God! I can’t believe I forgot how annoying you are!” Adora huffed as she straightened out her gown before turning around to face her brother directly.

“And I can’t believe I forgot how ugly you are.” He teased. “Tell me again how people think we’re related? I mean, just look at me! And then there’s you…” He gestured up and down his sister before looking her in the eyes again.

“Hm, tell me again why you’re such a dumb blind jerk? I’m clearly the better looking one.” She smiled as she punched him in the right arm.

“In your dreams!” Adam said as he returned the punch. Their roughhousing would have escalated from there if another familiar voice hadn’t interrupted them.

“Kids. Kids!” Her father’s voice could cut through any crowd. “Settle down!” He said as he approached them.

“Sorry, dad.” Adam said. “…But it was Adora’s fault.”

“What?!” Adora said in a high-pitched voice. “How is it my fault when you literally came out of nowhere and immediately started insulting me?!”

“Adam. Adora.” He looked between them with a stern expression. “You two are not acting very mature right now. Especially for such an important day.”

“What? I _am_ the mature one!” They both said. Voices perfectly synchronized with every inflection of tone and their gesturing mimicking each other exactly. It was almost scary how similar they were. “No, you’re not.” They both argued simultaneously again.

“Kids! Do **not** make me get your mother.” And with the mention of their mom they both immediately stopped what they were doing and calmed down. Adora did not want to get in trouble on one of the most important days of her life and honestly, she didn’t know why Adam always brought out the worst in her. She always just thought it was twin thing. They loved each other so much, but they could easily get on each other’s nerves.

“Nonono. There’s no need for that!” Adora defended with her hands raised in front of her.

“That’s one thing we can agree on!” Adam quickly nodded his head.

Her dad’s postured relaxed before he began approaching his daughter with a smile. “It’s good to see you again honey.” He said as he engulfed Adora in a warm comforting hug as his cologne hit her in the face and she couldn’t help but laugh a little at the memory of Catra drinking that Manhattan.

“So, where’s your _girlfriend_?” Adam asked and to be honest Adora was thinking the same thing as her dad released her from the hug.

“I thought she was right here…” Adora looked around again and her girlfriend was indeed nowhere to be found.

“I think I saw her heading towards the others when I was walking over here.” Randy said with a smile. “I still can’t believe that you two are finally together after all these years.”

“Honestly, it’s about time.” Adam chimed in.

“I still don’t know why no one told us, if it was that obvious!” Adora protested.

“Love takes time.” Adam shrugged. “I think establishing a strong friendship between you two was the key to opening yourself up for an actual relationship between each other. Who are we to interfere with something as special as that?” Adam smiled and Adora was surprised by how wise her brother sounded right now. “Even if it did take way too long to get that through your thick skull.” _And… he ruined the moment._ Typical. Adora thought.

“Oh! Remind me that we have to take pictures when we get back there. Come on!” He dad said as he began leading them through the crowd of people and back towards were the rest of their families had gathered.

As she was being led, Adora took in her soundings. The crowd had thinned out significantly since her initial run-in with her brother, but there were still happy faces all around and an overall sense of joy in the air. Students, parents, teachers, mentors and guardians all around started filing into the stadium and Adora assumed that they should be heading inside shortly too, but she still wanted to find her girlfriend.

She smiled as her eyes found Catra, who was currently being ambushed by members of her own family, which was an amusing sight to say the least. Catra seemed to be the smallest in stature of all of her family members, so she looked like she was drowning in a sea of people.

“Hey…! Look whose finally here everyone!” Catra exclaimed as she spotted her girlfriend. She looked desperate for relief from her family, who immediately turned to look at Adora.

Being the good girlfriend that she was, Adora wanted to help Catra out a little. “Hey guys long time no see!” She greeted with open arms. They all rushed over to her and she could’ve sworn that Catra let out a long exhale as she hunched over slightly before her field of vision was taken over by the other’s family. She had looked defeated from her family’s antics already and they had only been here for ten minutes.

As Catra’s family gathered around her she first heard her name being called out at least twenty different times followed by a series of questions in English and Spanish. “Adora, how are? How have you been?” A voice asked. “¡Escuchamos que ustedes dos están saliendo ahora! ¿Catra te trata bien?” Another voice asked. “¡Sí! ¿Cómo van las cosas?” Someone else chimed in. “How long have you been officially dating?” _Oh, so that’s what we’re talking about?_ Adora thought as she continued to be bombarded by questions. “Did you get into grad school?” “¿Te vas a quedar en Bright Moon?” Adora now understood why Catra had looked like she did a few seconds ago.

“Give the poor girl some space!” A voice shouted causing the overwhelming crowd around her to disperse. Adora’s eyes finally landed on Carla, a woman that was like a second mom to her. She was about the same height as Catra, curvier, her eyes were golden, and her hair was coarser with a few gray streaks.

“Carla!” Adora breathed out a sigh of relief as she went to hug her.

“¿Qué no pudiste haber hecho eso por mí, mamá?” Catra cried out as the two embraced.

“Mija, you are much more capable of handling our family than Adora is.” She smiled as she held Adora’s face in her hands. “It’s good to see you again.” She said as she dropped her hands.

“You too and the rest of your family as well.” She said with a big smile, genuinely thankful for Carla stepping in and breaking them away from the rest of the group.

“No need for pleasantries, Adora.” Carla smiled. “We all know this family can be a bit… much at times.” She shrugged her shoulders. “You know how we get.”

Adora sighed. “Oh, I know.” She looked at Catra, who just shook her head, and smiled.

Carla knowingly looked between the two girls. “Well, I hope she hasn’t given you any trouble over the past few months.” She smirked. “And that you’re happy with fire that my daughter is.”

“Mom.” Catra tried to get her to stop talking.

She ignored her and continued. “I know my daughter can be a little hot at times, but you always seemed to calm her down… Two opposites that really seem to balance each other out. Really, it’s an interesting romance… Your love life must be…”

“Mom!” Catra called out in embarrassment and Adora didn’t know how to respond to what Carla had said, but she could definitely feel her face beginning to flush. Luckily, or maybe not so lucky for Adora, her brother had sauntered his way over to them and interrupted their conversation.

“Hey, the others are starting to head inside. I think we should follow suit.” He looked at the group but deliberately ignored Catra.

“Alright, we’ll be cheering you on from the sidelines mija! You too Adora!” Carla shouted as she began to follow the rest of her family inside.

Adora waved goodbye before she turned her focus back to her brother and Catra only to find them glaring at one another.

“Catra.” He finally acknowledged her presence after a brief stare down.

“Adam.” She said in a tone matching his.

He looked her up and down. “I see that you’re still a bitch.”

“And I see that you’re still an insufferable asshole.” Catra said as she crossed her arms over her chest as she desperately tried to keep a smile from splitting across her face.

They held their poses for a few seconds before Adam relented and initiated a hug. He spread his arms wide and Catra readily unfolded her arms and wrapped them around his waist as his arms wrapped around her shoulders. “It’s good to see you.” He said.

“You too.” Catra said though her voice was muffled by his chest.

“You two have the weirdest dynamic…” Adora commented as she watched the hug.

“Us?” Catra laughed as she was released from the embrace. “Sorry, Adora but nothing gets weirder than the bond twins have.”

“Yeah… let’s not get started on that again.” Adam stated and Adora nodded in agreement.

“Well, I guess we should be heading inside then too, huh?” Adora asked.

“We probably should. The others went inside just as I got here.” Catra said as she began to lead her towards the entrance where she had watched their other friends disappear into minutes ago. There was a separate entrance for students and after they checked in and picked up their calling cards, they zipped up their gowns as they entered a long hallway leading to the stadium floor.

* * *

Catra and Adora’s POV

As they walked through the doors to the stadium floor, they were immediately greeted with the sound of hundreds of people chattering within the confines of the space. Students filled rows of chairs running perpendicular to the length of the floor. Each college name was posted on a pole, indicating where they should sit, so that each college class could graduate as a whole. That was the only unfortunate thing about this ceremony… they wouldn’t be able to sit together.

“I guess this is where we have to split?” Adora said before grinning. “Try not to miss me too much.” She teased.

“You wish.” Catra smirked, but her girlfriend just gave her a look that read ‘really?’ “I’ll try not to.” She corrected herself as she attempted to lean in for a kiss. They were less than two inches apart when their caps bumped together, preventing Catra from closing the gap between them any further… which of course put a damper in her spirits, but Adora apparently found the whole situation funny from how she was giggling right now. Catra pulled back and smiled. That laughter always cheered her up no matter what.

“The look on your face!” Adora said between chuckles “Ugh! You looked so disappointed babe.” Adora laughed again before catching the blazing look that Catra was giving her right now. “What? It was really cute! We all know you don’t like it when you can’t get what you want.”

Catra rolled her eyes. “Just another reason to add to my list of why I hate this regalia.” She shrugged. “If something I’m wearing prevents me from kissing my girlfriend, then it belongs in the trash.”

“Calm down. You look great! And all that means is that we just have to wait until the ceremony is over to take our caps off.”

“But that’s such a looooong time…” She droned. “I just want to go home and snuggle and kiss you and hold you.” Catra said as she leaned all her body weight against Adora in an attempt to display exactly how much she didn’t want to be apart from her, or just here in general.

“Wow. Your family must’ve really done a number on you already if you’re acting like this.” She said as she affectionately rubbed a hand up and down her arm before reaching for her hand.

“You have no idea…” Catra said in a defeated tone as she pushed off her.

They were then interrupted by one of the graduation coordinators shouting to the crowd of students on the floor. “All graduates please head towards for seats, if you haven’t already do so! The ceremony starts in five!” Most of the students were in fact already seated. It was only Catra and Adora who seemed to be the only ones still lingering together towards the back of the stadium floor.

“Okay, we should really get to our seats…” Adora said as she gave Catra’s hand a squeeze before dropping it and heading off in the opposite direction towards where the rest of the students for the College of Medicine were seated. “We’ll meet up afterwards, I promise!” She said with a wave before she was too far away.

“I know, we live together!” Catra called out back to her before heading towards the section of students from the College of the Arts. As she walked down the aisle to her class, she felt like all eyes were already on her. And to be honest, she was getting kind of nervous and that definitely doesn’t happen often to her. Maybe it was the fact that she wasn’t going to be with Adora during this, or that is was one of the biggest moments of her life… wait, yeah that’s exactly why she was nervous. She didn’t want to be alone during this! And she could start to feel herself panicking.

“Catra!” A voice called out to her and she broke out of her daze as she scanned the of the students in front of her before settling on a familiar one, that just so happened to have an empty seat next to him.

“Bow?” Catra didn’t mean for his name to come out like a question, she was just surprised… for a multitude of reasons.

“Hey, I saved you a seat!” He said kindly as Catra approached him. “Glad you’re finally here! We were getting really nervous about you two not making it.”

She settled in next to him. “Wow, thank you. And to be honest… I didn’t think we were going to.”

“Really? What happened?” He asked.

“Adora happened.” She joked.

“Meaning?”

“She watched me get ready instead of getting ready herself. So, we had to rush everything last minute to get here as quickly as possible.”

“Awww… that’s actually really sweet.”

“Yeah, I guess…” Catra tried to downplay his words, but she couldn’t help but smile at the fact that her girlfriend had done something like that. She was caught in her own thoughts of this morning, until Bow snapped her out of her trance for the second time today. What can she say? It wasn’t her fault that the thought of Adora was a very distracting!

“Speaking of Adora, and I’ve been meaning to tell you… I’m glad you two finally accepted your feelings for one another. Truthfully, I didn’t think you two would ever get out of your oblivious rut ten months ago. But it was so delightful to watch your relationship progress from the outside! You two are just so cute, and it all came together by the end of senior year! How exciting it that?!” Bow said with a smile on his face, like he had just recanted the best love story of all time.

Catra didn’t know how to respond, but she could tell that she was blushing. “I… uhhhh… thank you?”

“No, thank you for finally being together and loving each other the way you deserve to be loved.” Bow said so genuinely that she could practically feel his happiness.

_What???_ Catra thought. _Where is this coming from? I know he and Glimmer really wanted us to be together by how they reacted to us first breaking the news to them that we were dating, and how when I came to her rescue during homecoming… and that time at the beach… Wow, maybe this was more obvious that I originally thought… No wonder people thought we were in denial._

She distracted herself from her own mental conversation by searching for her girlfriend in the crowd. She looked to where the College of Medicine students were sitting, and she finally spotted her in an aisle seat. From where she was seated Catra could see her girlfriend directly if she leaned back and looked right. She stared for a few seconds before Adora turned to look at her and Catra winked at her which made her smile.

Catra pulled out her phone and snapped a quick picture of her.

_1:58, Catra: *photo sent* You look stupid btw_

She watched as her girlfriend finished out her own phone before a smile spilt across her face. She aimed her phone at Catra before typing something and setting her phone back into her lap and looking back at her.

_1:58, Adora: You don’t look much better tbh *photo received*_

She then took a selfie with a purposefully twisted expression.

_1:58, Catra: Oh, you wish you looked half this good. *photo sent*_

_1:59, Adora: I mean that is the face I fell in love with so… idk what that says about me _😂

_1:59, Catra: Trust me, it says a lot_

Catra’s attention was pulled from her text conversation when she heard the sound of clapping. She looked up just in time to see Angella walking across the stage, looking as regal as ever, but now dawned in attire matching the regalia of the students. She approached the podium and adjusted the mic before speaking.

“Good afternoon.” Angella greeted the crowd and she was greeted with hundreds of people returning her salutation.

“I’d like to start off by saying, congratulations graduates! It is a monumental day for all of you and your families. I should know.” She smiled. “As my own daughter is among you today.”

And Catra would give the world to see Glimmer’s embarrassed expression right now.

“I want you all to take a moment and reflect on here you started. Whether that be from a not so well-off background, a privileged one, or anything in between… You all deserve to be here today. You’ve worked hard, you’ve fought to prove yourself, and all that effort has finally paid off. _You_ should be proud of yourself.”

And Catra couldn’t help but take those words to heart. When Adora had asked her to apply to BMU four years ago, she never expected to get in. She knew that she was a good student with decent grades, yeah, but she didn’t think she’d fit in with the Bright Moon aesthetic. Never mind the fact that she didn’t come from a wealthy family, nor did she have any outstanding academic achievements. So, when she _and_ Adora received a hefty scholarship to attend the school she was honestly shocked but overjoyed at the same time. She could finally spread her wings and pursue something that she wanted to do and doing it with Adora was a bonus.

The rest of Angella’s speech was mostly all formalities before she introduced the other people sitting on stage. “I’d like to welcome to the stage some other important members of our university…”

Angella gave the floor to other apparently ‘influential’ individuals, including some of the deans from the separate colleges, the president of the student council and other people she’s never even heard of. Catra was honestly only paying half attention at this point anyway. It seemed like everything was dragging on longer than necessary. After they all said what they needed to and gave little speeches of their own Angella retook the stage.

“Thank you all. Now that that’s out of the way… are we ready to get this graduation started?!” The question earned her some yells, but she wasn’t satisfied with the response. “I said, Bright Moon ARE WE READY?!” Angella cheered the crowd on and she was met with a resounding ‘yes’ from her audience. “That’s more like it! Alright! Will the students from the College of the Arts please stand and make your way left stage please?”

Catra felt her heartbeat picking up again as she stood from her chair. She looked at Adora who gave her a reassuring smile and a thumbs up as she followed behind a line of students walking to the stage. _What a dork._ Catra thought as she followed her classmates. _But she’s my dork. _She smiled to herself as she approached the ramp leading up to the stage. _Alright Catra, we can do this. All we’re doing is walking across a stage… in front of a thousand people…_ Her breathing quickened. _Since when did I have stage fright? I usually love all eyes on me, but now…_

“Hey, you’re going to do fine.” Bow placed a hand on her right shoulder from behind, apparently able to pick up on her nervous energy.

Catra looked over her shoulder and grinned. She appreciated the comforting gesture and has become rather fond of Bow over the past year, even if she wouldn’t admit out loud. “You’re one to say! Mr. theatre major! This is what you’re used to!”

“I am, but I know that you usually like the spotlight on you too. You shouldn’t feel any different being in front of all these people, when your friends, family and girlfriend are all here to support you.”

_He’s right._ Catra thought. “There’s no reason for me to be nervous! I **am** being supported by my friends and family right now! All the other people can fuck off! Thanks Bow!”

“Yeah… I guess that’s one way to look at it.” Bow shrugged his shoulders with a weary smile on his face. At least he was happy that her could boost Catra’s morale.

After that mini pep talk with Bow, Catra felt her confidence return. She straightened up her posture, breathed in a few calming breaths and smoothed out invisible wrinkles on her gown as a genuine smile tugged at her lips. She was feeling great right now and it was all thanks to Bow. She would thank him more later, but now there were more important matters at hand.

Catra followed behind the rest of the students as they made their way up the ramp and before her. She listened as the names of others as they were being called out, patiently waiting for her turn, and before she knew it, she was next. She handed her calling card to the announcer with a steady hand and held her breath.

“Catrina ‘Catra’ Cyra Diaz” Her name was called in a seemingly agonizingly slow pace. That, or maybe everything just felt like it was moving in slow motion to her. She took her first steps forward and it felt like she was learning to walk again. But then her ears picked up on the sound of her families gritos filling the air and her chest warmed and she fully relaxed.

Well, that and the fact that she heard the undeniable voice of Adora shouting “THAT’S MY GIRLFRIEND!!! WOOOOOOO!!!” At the top of her lungs.

She continued her trek across the stage, shaking hands with the people who had given speeches prior in the ceremony until she reached Angella. She smiled at her. “Congratulations Catra. You’ve made us all very proud.” She said as she wrapped her arm around Catra’s shoulder, so that they were side by side, and they posed briefly for the photographer before she pulled her all the way in for a tight hug.

“Thank you.” Catra said as she was released from Angella’s grip and suddenly she could feel her eyes begin to water. Everyone was just being so supportive of her today that she was starting to become a little emotional and all she could do was freeze in her tracks again.

But thankfully, the announcer called her friend’s name next, signaling that she should move on. “Bow Arthur Woods” He said, and Catra turned around slightly to see Bow step on stage before she walked towards the ramp in front of her. Bow’s family’s cheers echoed throughout the stadium, as she continued her journey down the ramp before posing for a few more professional photos. After that was done, she settled back into her seat and Bow joined her shortly after.

“See that wasn’t so bad, was it?” He asked through a smile.

“No, it was kind of exhilarating.” Catra said as she mimicked his expression.

“Right!” He agreed.

She watched as Angella moved to take the mic again. “May the graduates of the College of the Arts and Sciences please rise.” Catra then saw Glimmer and Scorpia stand up from their seats and make their way over to left stage, where she had been minutes earlier. _At least they have each other too._ Catra thought. _It was nice having Bow… I just hope Adora will be okay by herself…_

Speaking of her girlfriend, she seemed to be hyper focused on the stage when Catra glanced over at her through the crowd. _At least she seems at ease right now._ She thought until she saw that her left leg was bouncing up and down and that her hands were firmly clasped together in her lap, a clear indicator of nervous energy. Adora must have caught on that someone was staring at her as she turned to look directly at Catra. When their eyes met, her legs stopped bouncing.

‘Ae you okay?’ Catra mouthed and received a head nod in return. She gave her girlfriend a reassuring smile. ‘You’ll do great’ She continued and received a small smile in return, matching her own.

Catra’s attention was pulled back to the stage as a familiar, yet unfamiliar at the same time, was called.

“Glimmer Luna Castile” As her name was announced she fluidly moved across the stage like she was made to be up there.

Glimmer quickly exchanged short pleasantries with the other members on stage, she clearly knew them from being the president’s daughter. And when she finally got to Angella… we’ll just say it was a sight to behold. Angella looked like the proudest parent on earth in this moment, and then there was Micah who seemingly showed up out of nowhere. They all posed for pictures longer than necessary and after a couple of minutes Glimmer moved off stage. She had stolen enough of the spotlight and she was ready to go.

Another familiar face was up next, shortly after Glimmer’s ceremonious departure. She entered the stage confidently like the powerhouse she was, and she made the whole room feel electric as her name was called. “Scorpia Nguyen” The announcer spoke and Catra could tell that she was a little jittery by the way she walked, probably from the excitement of this whole thing, and she cheered her on the whole way across the stage, shaking hands and posing for pictures too.

Angella took the mic again. “Graduates of the College of Engineering rise please.” She announced.

Catra watched as Entrapta rose from her seat. Her regalia was a little different from hers, since she was a master’s student, but it was kind of amusing since she almost looked like she was drowning in its fabric. She was the shortest of her fellow graduates and only one of three women graduating this semester from the engineering department, which was an impressive feat in its own right.

“Entrapta Emilie Petit” He name was stated, and she walked across stage, long purple hair perfectly complimenting the deep color of the gown, as she enthusiastically shook hands with everyone on stage and posed with pictures like the rest of them. She looked so happy the entire time and could hear Scorpia cheering her on as she did the same. They were all praying that she wouldn’t do anything chaotic while on stage and everything seemingly went off without a hitch, which they were grateful for.

A couple more colleges and a few more students walked across stage as Adora patiently waited for her college to be called. She had been so happy to see Catra and the rest of her friends graduate that she had really forgotten all about her own worries, until her girlfriend had caught on to one of her nervous ticks. She played off her suspicious, claiming that she was totally fine, when in fact she was completely freaking out. Every time she needed some reassurance though, she would look over at Catra who would already be staring back at her or turn as soon as she felt eyes on her. It was comforting to know that she was being looked out for, but this was still one of the biggest days of her life and she was terrified of screwing it up somehow.

“Graduates of the College of Medicine please stand.” Angella announced the last college to graduate.

_Of course, we have to be last._ _The anticipation is practically killing me!_ Adora thought as she got up from her seat before looking at Catra one last time, who offered her a small wave, and walking toward the stage. She was feeling very emotional all of the sudden.

_Don’t cry. Don’t cry. Don’t cry._ Adora kept chanting in her head as she approached the announcer. That’s the last thing she need to be doing today; bawling her eyes out in front of everyone during their graduation ceremony wouldn’t be very dignifying. Little did she know that her own girlfriend had almost been overcome by emotion while on stage and she was one of the most strong-willed people she’s ever met.

She handed him her call card and took in a deep breath before exhaling slowly. It calmed her nerves slightly, but she still felt like she was on the verge of tears. “Adora Marlena Grayskull” The announcer said her name and now she felt like she was going to throw up and she definitely did not need to do that. Crying was one thing but puking on stage at your graduation ceremony… no thank you.

Adora ignored her constricting stomach as she walked across the stage. She heard her family calling out to her and a “WAY TO GO PRINCESS!!!!” being shouted from the audience by Catra and she couldn’t help but blush slightly as she wore a huge smile on her face.

Everything was going smoothly until she got to Angella. As soon as she looked at her, she felt a tear trail down her cheek. She couldn’t help but pick up her pace at little to greet her in a tight hug. Her cap titled on her head and she wrapped her arms around her, but she didn’t care.

“I’m so proud of you.” Angella said as she pulled her in closer to her chest. “I know how hard you’ve worked for this and I am lucky that I was there to experience your growth.”

Adora felt a few more tears fall and she was almost going to give in to her emotions before she remembered that she was on stage and in front of a thousand people. She felt her stomach tighten again as she was released from the hug.

Angella wiped the tears from her cheeks, adjusted her cap and smoothed out her hair before posing for a picture with her. Afterwards, Adora gave her one last quick hug before moving off stage, finishing up her professional pictures and finding her seat again.

After all the students had crossed the stage, Angella took the podium again. “Will all of our graduates please stand.” She smiled as the students before her rose up. “Friends and family, I would like to present Bright Moon University’s Class of 2019!” She said and the stadium burst into a cacophony of cheers, shouts, yelling, just an overall sense of joy and excitement.

The celebration lasted only a minute, but after everyone had settled down some, they were finally released from the stadium floor and Adora ended up finding Catra waiting for her along one of the walls of the hallway that they walked through to get here earlier.

Catra greeted her as she slung her arm around Adora’s neck. “Looks like we finally did it, huh?”

Adora mimicked her actions. “Yeah, we did!” “This year went by really fast, didn’t it?”

“Not fast enough if you ask me!” Catra joked.

She laughed. “Either way we both should be proud of ourselves for accomplishing what we did. We worked really hard and even when school was kicking our ass, we still found time for each other.” She smiled.

“You’re right! We should do something to celebrate.” Catra suggested and she watched as her girlfriend’s eyes lit up.

“Oh! That reminds me, I have something for you!” Adora said as slipped out of Catra’s hold and stuck her hand down her gown to fish something out of her bra. “Wait, close your eyes.”

“What are you gonna do? Flash a tit at me? Not like I haven’t already seen them. Multiple times.” She smirked.

“Catra!” Adora scolded her. “Just close your eyes… and hold out your hands.”

“Fine…” Catra complied and did as told. She felt something small and warm being placed into her right palm.

“Okay, open your eyes.” She commanded meekly.

Catra immediately looked at what was sitting in her palm and her eyes instantly widened. “A ring?” She asked with a voice of shock and confusion.

“A class ring, yes, but you can think of it as a promise for the future.” Adora smiled.

Clearly not picking up on the connotations of that sentence, Catra continued their conversation on as normal. “Where did you even get this?” She asked as she examined the item in her hand.

“Oh, uh…You remember when I ran off during homecoming, before the game started?” She asked and Catra nodded. “Well I was placing an order for this.” She pointed to the ring in Catra’s palm. “And don’t worry! I got one for myself too, I just left it back at the apartment. It’s kind of different, but similar at the same time, you know?” Adora was rambling now, but Catra couldn’t help but hyper fixate on the realization of what her girlfriend had just said.

“A promise for the future, huh?” Catra said so quietly that Adora almost didn’t hear her.

“Haha… yep!” Adora answered through a nervous laugh, clearly not wanting to delve into the topic too much, even though she was the one to bring it up by giving her a ring! But true to her nature, she attempted to change the topic. “Anyway, does it fit?”

Catra decided it was best not to question her further, she would have plenty of time to do that later, so she picked up the ring and slid it onto her ring finger on her right hand. “Perfectly.”

“Great! Now, come on.” She smiled. “I think we’ve been keeping our families waiting for too long.”

_A promise for the future._ Catra repeated in her head and smiled to herself as she watched Adora walk down the hallway in front of her. _And now I can’t wait to see what our future has in store for us…_ She thought as she quickened her pace to catch up with her girlfriend and linked their hands together.

With each other by their side… it was going to be an interesting journey, that’s for sure.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright art nerds, can anyone guess what famous artist Catra chose to quote on her cap without looking it up? Cause I’ll be very impressed. And I promise this is not the end of Catra and Adora’s journey! I plan on posting a continuation of this fic sometime mid-January so keep your eyes out for it in the near future! (And make sure you're either subscribed to my dash or to this series directly to be notified when I update!) Also, did I put Adora in white dress and mention a ring as a not so subtle foreshadowing to what the sequel is going to be about? Maybe.
> 
> Follow me on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/simplyabsolute1) and/or [Tumblr](https://simplyabsolute.tumblr.com/)
> 
> Art:  
[Cap and Gowns](https://twitter.com/simplyabsolute1/status/1204807704914669569) by @applefuell
> 
> If you're interested I've created a playlist for this fic on [Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/11nUnD2FA84XZJX1z9kpjj)
> 
> All art inspired from this fic can be found on [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/simply.absolute/) now too!


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